At least 11 people were killed and several others injured on Sunday after two gunmen opened fire at a Jewish Hanukkah event at the famous Bondi Beach in Sydney. Australian media reported that 29 people were wounded, including a child and two officers. A massive emergency response was underway, with injured people loaded into ambulances.
One of the gunmen involved in the attack has been identified as Naveed Akram by Australian media.
Australian police termed the shooting as a "terrorist" incident.
"As a result of the circumstances of the incident tonight at 9:36 pm this evening, I declared this to be a terrorist incident," New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told a news conference.
Lanyon also said an “improvised explosive device” was found in a car linked to the Bondi shooter, the Associated Press reported.
“We have found an improvised explosive device in a car which is linked to the deceased offender," he added.
The shooting occurred on the first night of the eight-day Jewish festival of Hanukkah. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the gunmen opened fire shortly after 6:30 pm (Australian time) as hundreds had gathered on the beach for a seaside event marking the festival’s start.
One attacker was shot dead by police, while the other was arrested. The suspect was in critical condition, authorities said.
Police said their operation was “ongoing" and that a “number of suspicious items located in the vicinity” were being examined by specialist officers.
Dramatic footage, apparently filmed by a bystander and aired on Australian television channels, showed a person appearing to tackle and disarm one of the gunmen before turning the weapon on him.
Chabad identified one of the dead as Rabbi Eli Schlanger, assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and a key organizer of the event,
Chabad is an Orthodox Jewish movement that is known for its outreach to non-religious Jews. It runs scores of centers around the world that are popular with Jewish travelers and often sponsors large public events during major Jewish holidays.
Local news outlets spoke to distressed, bloodied bystanders who witnessed the horror. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the reports and images emerging from the scene were “deeply distressing.”
"We heard the shots. It was shocking, it felt like 10 minutes of just bang, bang, bang. It seemed like a powerful weapon," Camilo Diaz, a 25-year-old student from Chile, told news agency AFP at the scene.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said a shooting Sunday at Sydney's Bondi beach was "shocking and distressing."
"Police and emergency responders are on the ground working to save lives. My thoughts are with every person affected," Albanese said in a statement shared by his office. "I urge people in the vicinity to follow information from the (New South Wales) Police," he said.
One witness who declined to be named said he personally witnessed six dead or injured bodies lying on the beach.
The grassy hill overlooking Bondi Beach was strewn with discarded items from people fleeing too fast to pack up, including an abandoned children's stroller, an AFP journalist at the scene said.
Paramedics tended to multiple people lying on the grass by the beach, images broadcast by public broadcaster ABC showed.
A weapon that appeared to be a pump action shot-gun was lying by a tree by the beach.
Another witness told AFP that he saw "two shooters in black" at the scene. "There was a shooting, two shooters in black with semi-automatic rifles," Timothy Brant-Coles told AFP from the Sydney tourist hotspot.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service added that multiple people were treated at the scene before being taken to different Sydney hospitals.
The head of Australia's Jewish Association said that the shooting during the Hanukkah event was a "tragedy but entirely foreseeable."
"The Albanese government was warned so many times but failed to take adequate actions to protect the Jewish community," Robert Gregory said.
A major Australian Muslim organisation also condemned the incident.
"Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those who witnessed or were affected by this deeply traumatic attack," the Australian National Imams Council said in a statement. "This is a moment for all Australians, including the Australian Muslim community, to stand together in unity, compassion, and solidarity," they added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday strongly condemned the terrorist attack, he expressed solidarity with the Australian people during what he described as a moment of profound grief.
In a post on X, Modi said, "Strongly condemn the ghastly terrorist attack carried out today at Bondi Beach, Australia, targeting people celebrating the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah." He extended condolences to the families of those killed in the attack and underscored India’s support for Australia in the aftermath of the incident.
"On behalf of the people of India, I extend my sincere condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. We stand in solidarity with the people of Australia in this hour of grief," the Prime Minister said.
Modi also reiterated India’s long-standing position against terrorism, stating that the country follows a policy of “zero tolerance” and supports global efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Israeli leaders strongly condemned the Sydney shooting, with senior officials accusing Australia of failing to curb rising antisemitism. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Canberra had fuelled antisemitic sentiment in the period leading up to the attack, recalling a letter he wrote to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in August after Australia announced it would recognise Palestinian statehood. “Your policy is pouring oil on the fire of antisemitism,” Netanyahu said, adding in a televised address that “antisemitism is a cancer that spreads when leaders are silent.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also urged Australia to act against what he described as a “surge” in antisemitism during a phone call with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong. In a post on X, Saar said he told Wong that since October 7 there had been a rise in antisemitic incidents in Australia, including violent incitement against Israel and Jews, and called on the Australian government to take strong action against antisemitic slogans heard at protests.
The massacre at one of Australia's most popular and iconic beaches followed a wave of antisemitic attacks that have roiled the country over the past year, although the authorities didn't suggest those episodes and Sunday's shooting were connected. They said one of the gunmen was known to the security services, but that there had been no specific threat.
The massacre at one of Australia's most popular and iconic beaches followed a wave of antisemitic attacks that have roiled the country over the past year, although the authorities didn't suggest those episodes and Sunday's shooting were connected. They said one of the gunmen was known to the security services, but that there had been no specific threat.
(With inputs from AP and AFP)