16 killed, 40 injured on Sydney’s Bondi Beach; Hanukkah celebrations targeted; one gunman dead; The police pay tribute to the local hero
A screenshot from a user-generated video shows beachgoers fleeing Sydney’s Bondi Beach after gunmen opened fire. Photo: AFP
Sydney:
Gunmen killed at least 16 people and wounded at least 40 others on Sunday after opening fire on a gathering celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, in what Australian police described as a “terrorist” attack.
The shooting took place during the annual ‘Hanukkah by the Sea’ event, which police said was attended by more than a thousand people on one of Australia’s most popular and crowded beaches. Emergency services responded to reports of gunfire at 6:47 p.m. local time.
Initially, New South Wales police said at least 29 people were rushed to nearby hospitals from the beach. One of the alleged gunmen was killed at the scene, while another suspect was critically wounded, authorities said.
Later in the early hours of Monday, police released an updated death toll confirming 16 people were killed and at least 40 others wounded in the shooting, who remain in hospital. The police statement did not specify whether the number included one of the shooters who died in the attack.
Police declared the incident a “terrorist” attack and said suspected improvised explosive devices had been found inside a vehicle near the beach linked to the deceased suspect.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting was a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah. “This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith,” Mr Albanese said.
“An act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism has struck at the heart of our nation. An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian,” he added, praising ordinary citizens who intervened during the attack as “heroes”.
When it erupted, crowds fled in panic from the beach in eastern Sydney, which is typically packed with swimmers, surfers and tourists, especially at weekends. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as people ran for safety.
“We heard the shots. It was shocking, it felt like 10 minutes of just bang, bang, bang. It seemed like a powerful weapon,” a 25-year-old student from Chile told AFP at the scene. Another witness said he saw six dead or injured people lying on the beach after the shooting.
An AFP journalist at the scene reported seeing discarded items scattered across the grassy hill overlooking Bondi Beach, including towels, bags and an abandoned pram left behind by people fleeing the area.
Paramedics were seen tending to injured people lying on the grass, according to images broadcast by public broadcaster ABC. A weapon that appeared to be a pump-action shotgun was lying by a tree near the beach.
British tourist Timothy Brant-Coles told AFP he saw “two shooters in black” after the shooting broke out. “There was a shooting, two shooters in black with semi-automatic rifles,” he said, adding that he saw several people who had been shot and wounded.
Another British tourist said he saw people dragging children away from the beach as shots rang out. “People were dragging their kids away, there were like 40 shots. It sounded like fireworks,” said Bianca, a 26-year-old teacher in Sydney.
As evening fell, the normally lively area around Bondi Beach was cleared as armed police cordoned off streets and emergency sirens replaced the usual sounds of nightlife. Hours later, the beach was largely deserted.
Video footage circulating on social media showed a man struggling with one of the gunmen, wresting the weapon away and pointing it at the attacker, who appeared to retreat. Local media identified the man as 43-year-old fruit seller Ahmed al Ahmed.
Australia’s 7News reported that he suffered two gunshot wounds. A man identified as his cousin, Mustapha, told the outlet that Ahmed was hospitalized. “He’s in the hospital and we don’t know exactly what’s going on inside,” he said. “We hope he’ll be fine. He’s a hero 100 percent.”
Prime Minister Albanese also hailed Ahmed and others who intervened as “heroes”, saying their actions may have saved lives. Australian authorities said the investigation was ongoing, while police continued to secure the area and urged the public to follow official guidance.
World leaders expressed shock and condemnation. King Charles III said he was “appalled” by what he described as a “most appalling anti-Semitic terrorist attack on Jews”. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the news from Australia as “deeply concerning”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said anti-Semitism had no place in the world. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “shocked” by an “appalling act of violence”, adding that Europe stood with Australia and Jewish communities everywhere.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack and said France would fight relentlessly against anti-Semitic hatred. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed deep sorrow.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran condemned the violent attack, adding that the killing of people everywhere was rejected. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country stood in solidarity with Australia after the attack.
In Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grief over the shooting, offered condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured, including police personnel.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed condolences and said that Pakistan condemned terrorism in all its forms and stood in solidarity with the people and government of Australia.
A major Australian Muslim organization also condemned the shooting as “horrific”, while the head of the Australian Jewish Association described the attack as a tragedy and said the government had been warned of threats to the Jewish community.
