16 Dead After Bondi Terror Attack Targets Chanukah Celebrations
The deadliest mass shooting on Australian soil since Port Arthur in 1996.
At 6:40pm last night, a coordinated terrorist attack unfolded at Bondi, the most famous and densely populated beach in Australia.
Sixteen people have been killed, including a 12-year-old girl. Thirty-eight more remain in hospital and the death toll is expected to rise. The majority of victims were attending Chanukah celebrations, held beside the children’s playground at North Bondi on a warm summer evening marking the first night of the Jewish festival.
Witnesses reported up to 80 shots fired over more than ten minutes. Many initially believed the noise was fireworks before hearing screams and seeing people running for their lives across the sand and streets.
By 7:05pm, two gunmen had been apprehended. Police later discovered an improvised explosive device inside a nearby parked car that failed to detonate. One attacker died at the scene. The other remains in critical condition. Hospitals across Sydney were placed on mass casualty alert as paramedics, lifeguards and first responders began moving victims into ambulances. Patients are currently being treated at multiple facilities, including Sydney Children’s Hospital, St Vincent’s and Westmead.
Thanks to the work of an incredibly brave citizen, Ahmed Al Ahmed, a fruit shop owner, one of the attackers was neutralized. Hiding behind a parked car, Ahmed risked his life to stop the attacker, who was shooting at people at close range. The death toll would likely be even higher were it not for his incredible act of courage and selflessness.
There are few words to describe the grief, shock and rage felt across Sydney this morning, particularly within the Jewish community. This is the deadliest attack on Australian soil since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which led to sweeping gun control reforms and one of the largest government-led firearms buyback schemes in the world.
ASIO, Australia’s security and intelligence agency are working with the state and federal police to investigate how this coordinated attack was able to take place. The identity of one of the gunmen has been revealed as Naveed Akram, 24, from Bonnyrigg in Western Sydney. Police have confirmed a raid on the terror suspect’s home. According to reports, Akram was a former bricklayer who had been laid off two months ago. He appeared to be tagged in a 2022 social media post showing he had passed his Koran studies at Al-Murad Institute, which teaches Arabic and Koran studies in Heckenberg, also in western Sydney. He had told his family he was going on a fishing trip yesterday, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
The identity of the second, and potential third assailant, has yet to be confirmed.
A number of leaders have since condemned the tragic act of terror. For now locals have been told to remain on high alert. Many local businesses and schools will likely remain closed today while the community mourns together.
Our wishes go out to everyone in the Bondi community, and to the victims families and friends. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to all those that assisted in helping victims to safety during such a dark, contemptible and senseless attack.
More to come.
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