One of the witnesses at the horrific Bondi Beach massacre has spoken out about stomping on the head of one of the suspected gunmen.
Jacob Barnfield said he did what “every Australian wanted to do” by stomping on Naveed Akram’s head.
Speaking to Australia breakfast TV show Sunrise,he said: “People were just stomping on his (Naveed’s) head. I got a pretty good shot on his head as well, but I feel like it was pretty well deserved considering the circumstances.
“I had so much anger built up just to kick them because you’ve just seen all the dead bodies, you’ve seen the families screaming and crying. There was children on the floor screaming and crying.
“It was a bit of a dog shot, but I don’t regret it at all. He deserved every bit.”
Naveed Akram, 24, was named by the Australian Prime Minister as one of two suspected shooters who are reportedly responsible for killing 15 people at Bondi Beach, Sydney.
Naveed’s father, Sajid Akram, 50, was identified as the second suspected gunman.
The attack, which took place on Hannukkah celebrations, left 42 beachgoers in hospital, and five in critical condition.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger was described as “vivacious, optimistic and full of energy and life”.
His cousin Rabbi Dovid Lewis told Sky News that the 41-year-old father-of-five, “dedicated his life to adding light and to spreading Torah and Judaism”.
Barnfield described the scene as carnage, in which several bystanders were reported attempting to jump on top of the shooter.
He said, “You don’t think about how dangerous it is when you’re running past kids bleeding out, families covering their children, and people with organs exposed. It’s just fight or flight.
“It’s something you don’t usually see in Australia. You’d expect it in America, but here – it’s pretty crazy.”
This comes after reports that the suspected alleged shooter pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and had been investigated by the ASIO for six months in 2019 following the arrest of an Islamic State terrorist, ABC reported.
ABC claimed that Akram was investigated for “close ties to a Sydney-based Islamic State (IS) terrorism cell”.
The Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) also reported that Akram’s father pledged loyalty to IS.
Sajid, 50, was shot dead by officers responding to the attack, while his 24-year-old sonwas left in critical condition and taken to hospital.
Israeli intelligence sources suspect that an Iranian-backed terror cell might have been responsible for the attack.
However, Australian authorities have not yet confirmed overseas involvement in the attack.
Israeli media reports suggest that groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba are being investigated.
Israeli intelligence sources reported that the massacre was well-planned and mirrors some of the characteristics of Hezbollah’s external operations arm, Unit 910.
Around three months ago, Australia’s Iranian ambassador was expelled after claiming that Tehran had planned attacks against Jewish targets in the country in 2024.
These comprised an October arson attack on a Sydney cafe and an attack on a Melbourne synagogue in December.
Mike Burgess, the boss of ASIO, claimed that his team had found links “between the alleged crimes and the commanders in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC”.
Ronen Solomon, an Israeli intelligence expert on Hezbollah, told The Daily Telegraph that Australia is known to be a base for some Iranian terror groups.
He said, “Australia has long been known to be a hub for Hezbollah and Iran’s sleeping cells, so it could even be a joint operation between Hezbollah and Quds Force.
“But this will mean it’s going to be very hard to pin this incident on them as Iran will want to cover this up as an anti-Semitic incident.”
One of the victims of the horrendous attack, a Holocaust survivor, Alex Kleytman, was killed while protecting his wife from gunfire.
10-year-old Matilda, the youngest victim of the attack, was described as a “bright, joyful and spirited child” by her teacher Irina Goodhew.
Matilda’s aunt Linda confirmed the devastating news in a post to social media.
She said: “A great tragedy has happened to my family. Yesterday my beloved niece Matilda was killed during a terrorist attack in Bondi beach.
“I don’t know how we survive such grief.”
The number of victims claimed by the attack could have been much higher if a local shopkeeper hadn’t stepped in and disarmed one of the shooters.
Heroic fruit shop owner, Ahmed Al Ahmed, 43, wrestled and seized a gun from one of the gunmen, who lies on the ground. Al Ahmed briefly turns the gun at him, but does not shoot, and instead calmly places the weapon on the ground.
Al Ahmed was shot five times in the arm and is now recovering in the hospital.
Australian Prime Minister Albanese called the brutal attack: “An act of evil antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation.”
Speaking at a Canberra press conference, he said: “The evil that was unleashed at Bondi Beach today is beyond comprehension, and the trauma and loss that families are dealing with tonight is beyond anyone’s worst nightmare.
“We have seen Australians today run towards danger in order to help others. These Australians are heroes, and their bravery has saved lives.”
According to Australian Police, the 50-year-old shooter older shooter had six firearms registered to him, and they recovered six from the scene.
Officers say that they found two “rudimentary” bombs at the scene and took them away to be deactivated.
Authorities have ruled out looking for a third suspect, and added that there was “no indication to indicate that either of the men involved in yesterday’s attack was planning the attack that happened yesterday.”
The horrific attack has led to thousands of Australians giving blood in the largest donation drive for 16 years.
Cath Stone, the Executive Director in Donor Experience from Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, confirmed that 40,000 people have donated.
She said: “This is the biggest community response we’ve seen since the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria in 2009.
“We’d like to thank everyone who has visited our centres or made an appointment to donate today and in the days ahead.
“When tragic events occur, donating blood and plasma is one way to help people.
