Bombshell development in visa case for brave security who confronted Westfield Bondi Junction stabber as Nat Barr confronts Albanese govt

The Australian government is looking into granting a visa to a security guard who was stabbed in the stomach after bravely confronting crazed knifeman Joel Cauchi during his stabbing spree at Westfield Bondi Junction.

Muhammad Taha, from Pakistan, was patrolling the fourth floor of the shopping mall on Saturday afternoon when Cauchi began stabbing strangers at random. 

Yesterday, he asked why he has not been offered citizenship like ‘Bollard Man’, and Sunrise host Nat Barr asked the same question to Defence Minister Richard Marles on Thursday. 

‘Mr Taha wants to know where his visa is at after the Prime Minister told the bollard hero that he can be in Australia as long as he likes. 

‘Will Mr Taha also be allowed to stay?’ 

Mr Marles said his visa application will be worked through by the immigration minister.

‘I’m not aware of the application being made by Mr Taha but no doubt that will be worked through by the minister.  

‘I want to say really clearly the actions of Mr Taha are enormously brave.

‘Coming out of that tragedy are these incredible stories of bravery for which the nation is really greatly indebted and the circumstances of Mr Taha I’m sure will be worked through.’

Mr Taha and his new colleague, Faraz Tahir, raced over to confront Cauchi, unaware he was wielding a 30cm hunting blade.

Mr Tahir, 30, who was on his first shift in the shopping centre, was stabbed to death, Cauchi’s only male victim of the six people killed.

Meanwhile, Mr Taha was knifed in the stomach but managed to radio other security staff for help – becoming one of the first people to raise the alarm.

‘Another individual, using a bollard, bravely attempted to stop the attacker and was subsequently offered residency by the Australian Prime Minister due to his courageous actions,’ Mr Taha told The Australian from his hospital bed yesterday before the Albanese government addressed the case this morning.

‘Similarly, as a direct victim of the incident, I believe I deserve recognition and consideration for citizenship.

‘As well, the guards working alongside came running towards the point of incident and risking their lives … (they) should be offered citizenship as well.’

Mr Taha was referring to Frenchman Damien Guerot who went viral after footage of him facing down Cauchi at the top of an escalator while holding a bollard went viral.

He was quickly given the moniker ‘Bollard Man’ and for his bravery Anthony Albanese offered him citizenship on Tuesday, claiming he was ‘welcome to stay for as long’ as he likes.

But Mr Taha, whose skilled subclass 487 visa expires next month, has queried why the same recognition has not been extended to himself and other first responders who ran towards danger.

Cauchi’s other victims were all women. 

They were new mum Ashlee Good, 38, bride-to-be Dawn Singleton, 25 – daughter of millionaire businessman John Singleton – mother-of-two Jade Young, 47, artist Pikria Darchia, 55, and Chinese national Yixuan Cheng, 27. 

The terrifying ordeal came to an end when senior police officer Amy Scott shot Cauchi dead after telling him to drop the knife.

Mr Guerot’s father told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday his 31-year-old son was so full of adrenaline that he went for a two-hour jog after confronting the killer.

Loic Guerot, speaking from at his home in France, said: ‘I’ve had a lot of trouble sleeping, it’s incredible. I can’t find the words, I’m extremely proud.’

The family is from Saint-Jean-sur-Mayenne, in the Loire Valley, some 320km southwest of Paris.

Mr Guerot left the town six years ago, and is now happily settled in Australia and working as a carpenter.

Admitting that he could have lost his son in the stabbing rampage, Mr Guerot added: ‘He feels very, very good now. He went for a two-hour jog afterwards.

‘We talked for two hours and then he went to sleep. And then off to work the next morning!’

‘He always maintains the same values and he always thinks of others.

‘He’s always been a go-getter, that’s how he is. He always thinks of others before himself!’ Mr Guerot added.

A childhood friend in Saint-Jean-sur-Mayenne, who asked not to be named, said: ‘Damien is an incredible guy, and extremely low-key with it.

‘He know he’s famous around the world now, but doesn’t want to show off. He’ll just get on with his ordinary life, like he always does.’

President Emmanuel Macron himself has also praised Mr Guerot and fellow Frenchman Silas Despreaux for helping to stop the knifeman.

‘Two of our compatriots behaved like true heroes,’ Mr Macron wrote on X, formely Twitter. 

‘Very great pride and recognition.’

Mr Guerot was going to the gym with Mr Despreaux on Saturday afternoon when they stumbled across the scene of carnage. 

‘We tried to catch him but he was going down the stairs,’ Mr Guerot told 7News. 

‘Then we saw him going down so we followed him from the top. We tried to maybe throw the bollard to him but we couldn’t.’ 

Mr Guerot said he was running off pure ‘adrenaline’.

‘We didn’t think. You cannot think in that moment,’ he said.

‘His eyes were like empty eyes… he wasn’t there,’ Mr Guerot said.

The two mates launched the bollards at Cauchi but he managed to escape.

Mr Guerot grabbed a chair and made chase with NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott who shot Cauchi dead after he lunged at her.

The Frenchman praised the quick-thinking of Inspector Scott.

‘She was actually the hero, she did the job,’ he said. 

Westfield will reopen on Thursday for a day of ‘quiet’ community reflection before trading resumes on Friday.