At least 12 killed, including one suspected shooter, in deadly terror attack at Hanukkah event in Australia
Published by RawNews1st
A man believed to be one of the shooters has also been killed, New South Wales Police said. The second alleged shooter is in a critical condition.
Emergency services were called to reports of shots being fired at about 6:45 p.m. local time (2:45 a.m. ET) on Sunday.
Officials declared the shooting a terrorist event and said the attack was “designed to target” the Jewish community. An event to mark the first day of Hanukkah was taking place on Bondi Beach on Sunday.
Bondi Beach is one of Australia’s most iconic beaches, with over two million tourists visiting the site in 2024.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said the country will eradicate “hate, violence and terrorism,” following the attack at Bondi Beach today.
“As prime minister, I say on behalf of all Australians to the Jewish community, we stand with you,” he said at a press conference, calling the attack an “act of evil antisemitism.”
“We embrace you and we reaffirm tonight that you have every right to be proud of who you are and what you believe,” he added.
Albanese said that a national security committee had been convened as a matter of urgency this evening.
“There is no place for this hate, violence and terrorism in our nation. Let me be clear we will eradicate it,” he said.
The attack has prompted condemnation and expressions of solidarity from leaders around the world. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the news from Australia was “deeply distressing,” while New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Australians and New Zealanders were “family” and expressed shock at the violence in a place frequently visited by tourists.
Bondi Beach, one of Australia’s most iconic landmarks, is usually crowded with locals and tourists, particularly on weekends. Police said the area remained under heavy security as investigations continued and warned that further updates would follow.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon suggested that one of the shooters was known to authorities but “the person that we know has very, very little knowledge to the police”.
“So he’s not someone that we would have automatically been looking at at this time,” he said.
