A Frenchman who confronted the Bondi Junction attacker during his stabbing rampage will have his visa approved today, the prime minister has confirmed.
French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux were hailed as heroes after video from the Saturday attack showed them halting knifeman Joel Cauchi on an escalator, threatening him with bollards.
The pair were also captured running behind NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott and towards Cauchi, who was later shot dead by the officer.
Albanese confirmed on Hit Central radio this morning the application would be approved today.
“I’ve spoken with the minister again just last night – his permanent residential visa will be approved today,” he said.
“The footage was just extraordinary, he could have very easily walked away, but he chose to stand at the top of those escalators with the perpetrator coming up with a big knife.
“What an extraordinary act of bravery.”
“We go there and hide … and Silas was like, ‘We need to do something, we need to catch him’,” Guerot said.
They each picked up a bollard – which Guerot estimated weighed about 30kg to 40kg – and set off in pursuit of Cauchi.
“We saw him keep going, you know … stabbing people, then we saw him going the other way and we followed him,” Guerot said.
