A father and son shot dead 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in an antisemitic terrorist attack, Australian authorities confirm
SYDNEY: A father and son armed with long-barrelled guns shot and killed 15 people at a Jewish festival on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
Australian authorities labelled the Sunday attack an act of antisemitic terrorism targeting a Hanukkah celebration.
The youngest victim was a 10-year-old girl who died in hospital, while the oldest was 87 years old.
Another 42 people were hospitalised, including two police officers.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the nation was mourning with flags flown at half-mast on Monday.
“What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores,” Albanese told a news conference.
Police said the 50-year-old father possessed six licensed firearms believed used in the shooting.
His 24-year-old son was hospitalised with critical injuries.
Officers raided two properties in Sydney, reportedly the homes of the two gunmen.
New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon said investigators wanted to understand the motives behind the attack.
World leaders expressed condemnation, with US President Donald Trump calling it a “purely antisemitic attack”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Australia’s government of “pouring oil on the fire of antisemitism” before the shooting.
Australian police are deploying a highly visible presence in Jewish communities and at places of worship.
Rabbi Mendel Kastel, whose brother-in-law was killed, said the attack was unbelievable for Australia.
Footage emerged showing a man wrestling a gun from one attacker during the shooting.
French witness Alban Baton described hiding in a grocery store cool room as people fled.
Iran’s foreign ministry denounced the violent attack in Sydney.
A string of antisemitic attacks has spread fear in Australia since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023.
The Australian government has accused Iran of directing two previous antisemitic attacks in 2024. – AFP
