Closing summary
We’ll draw our blog to a close now as it’s past midnight in Sydney, where a single sail of the city’s iconic Opera House is beaming out a menorah onto the harbour, in a show of solidarity with Jewish Australians.
“Tonight, those candles are a symbol of resilience and a reminder that even in darkness, we choose to stand with one another,” says the state premier.
Australians and people around the world are mourning the 15 victims of Sunday’s terrorist attack on Jewish Australians at the start of Hanakuh.
A 10-year-old girl, a local Rabbi and a Holocaust survivor have been identified among those killed
There are still 27 people injured in hospitals, including the man who tackled a shooter to disarm him
Ahmed al Ahmed has received over A$1m (£500,000) in donations while recovering in hospital from bullet wounds; he’s been labelled a national hero
The alleged perpetrators of the attack have been identified as a father-and-son duo who had extremist links, said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The ABC reported Islamic State flags were found in their car.
Lawmakers have pledged to tighten the country’s already significant gun-ownership laws after the mass shooting was carried out with registered firearms
“People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licences should not be in perpetuity,” said Albanese
Amid calls from community leaders to not let the attack on Sunday divide the multicultural country, some Jewish leaders say the attack was foreseen and authorities failed to combat the rise in hate
Australia enacted an anti-Semitism strategy earlier this year, in response to Israel’s war in Gaza, but critics say that has failed, including Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu who said he’d warned Albanese that Australia’s support for Palestinian statehood would fuel anti-Semitism
Albanese has denied this, and vowed on Monday to “do whatever is necessary to stamp out antisemitism”
Updated
Jewish and Muslim leaders embrace at Aboriginal-led healing vigil
There were vigils across Sydney today, including one in Hyde Park in the city centre, organised by First Nations people in solidarity with the Jewish community.
The event was arranged by Bundjalung woman Vanessa Turnbull Roberts, together with the Jewish Council, an organisation established in 2023 to create an Australian Jewish voice that supports Palestinian freedom and oppose anti-Semitism.
Speakers included Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins of Emanuel Synagogue and Bilal Rauf from the Australian National Imams Council, who embraced each other after their remarks.
Lizzi Jarrett, a Dunghutti Bundjalung activist, also spoke about the importance that feelings of anger should not be directed at anyone except the two perpetrators. She spoke of the need to “not let fear win, hate and hurt take over.”
More than a million in donations for 'hero' Ahmed al-Ahmed
Donations have poured in for Ahmed al-Ahmed, the Muslim father-of-two who tackled one of the gunmen from behind to disarm him. A GoFundMe page has currently raised more than $A1.3m (£645,000; $864,000) in less than 24 hours.
The Sydney fruit and vegetable seller is currently recovering in hospital after surgery from bullet wounds – he was shot twice by the second gunman after interrupting the first’s attack.
Ahmed was visited by the state premier earlier today who praised his extraordinary courage. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has also described Ahmed “running towards danger, putting his own life at risk” as “the best of humanity”.
Ahmed’s father told Australia’s ABC his son had “served in the police, he has the passion to defend people.“
“When he saw people lying on the ground and the blood, quickly his conscience pushed him to attack one of the terrorists and take away his weapon,” Mohamed Fateh al-Ahmed said.
Updated
Religious leaders hold emergency meeting
There was a meeting tonight between religious leaders from the city’s largest denominations, convened by the state minister for multiculturalism.
A statement from the New South Wales (NSW) Faith Affairs Council said they “expressed their deepest sympathies for the people killed in the horrific attack” and “re-iterated their solidarity with the Jewish community”.
Jewish clergy leaders addressed the meeting which included Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu faith leaders, with one senior rabbi saying communities could show support by lighting a Hanukah candle or engaging in charity.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack on Sunday, the council had declared:
We will not let hatred and violence divide us. Across all our cultures and faiths, will stand united in sympathy, compassion and solidarity.”
Minister Kamper said: “Australians of all faiths must work together, unambiguously, to restore faith in NSW’s multiculturalism.”
Sydney in particular is a highly multicultural city, viewed by residents as largely harmonious and peaceful – where nearly 40% of the population was born overseas and more than a third of people speak a language other than English at home.
Updated
Sydney Opera House lit with menorah tribute
New South Wales premier Chris Minns said he’d made the decision to light the Sydney Opera House, the other main icon of the city along with Bondi beach, with the menorah to show support to the Jewish community.
In the wake of this horrific attack, it is more important than ever that the Jewish community in NSW knows they do not stand alone.
We cannot, and we will not allow Jewish Australians to feel they must hide their faith, their traditions, their religious celebrations or their identity.
Lighting the Opera House is a simple but powerful gesture: a message to the world that we cherish our Jewish community, that we honour their courage, and that we stand with them in solidarity and love.
Tonight, those candles are a symbol of resilience and a reminder that even in darkness, we choose to stand with one another.”
Updated
It’s nearing 10.30pm in Sydney, but there are still many mourners down at the Bondi Pavilion, where a makeshift memorial has been established. Earlier, thousands had gathered to pay tribute an evening vigil.
Updated
Injured officers’ families issue statement
The families of two police officers injured in the shooting have sent out a message through the New South Wales state police force.
“The families of the two injured officers wish to pass on their thoughts to the loved ones of those who were killed and injured in the Bondi shooting tragedy.
They also want to express their heartfelt gratitude to all first responders who acted with courage, in particular the police officers and paramedics who responded.
They also wish to thank their hospital team, and especially those in ICU.
They thank the community for their support but have asked for privacy as their loved ones focus on recovery and healing.”
Both officers remain in a serious but stable condition in hospital. Only one has been identified so far – Constable Scott Dyson, who had been with the local area police command for 18 months.
Updated
Good morning to our UK and European readers, I’m taking over our live blogging, from London, as it’s well into the night in Australia. Thanks to Steph Convery, Krishani Dhanji and the rest of the Guardian Australia team for their rolling coverage today.
We are not expecting any major updates from authorities on the ground at the moment but of course the world is still processing the horrors of Sunday. I’ll have more shortly.
What we learned – Monday 15 December
A lot has happened today – here’s just some of what we learned:
Sixteen people have been confirmed dead as a result of the Bondi beach attack, including one of the alleged gunmen. As of 8pm local time, 26 people remained in hospital.
The alleged gunmen have been identified as father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram. Naveed, 24, was injured and arrested at the scene. Sajid, 50, was shot dead by police.
NSW police commissioner Mal Lanyon said given Naveed Akram’s condition he would “likely” face charges.
A sixth firearm and third explosive device was found at the Bondi crime scene today.
Anthony Albanese described the terror attack as an “act of pure evil” and promised to dedicate “every single resource” to the response.
National cabinet met this afternoon and determined that “strong, decisive and focused action was needed on gun law reform” as an immediate response to the shooting.
NSW premier Chris Minns vowed to “introduce the toughest gun legislation in the country”.
Members of the public gathered and laid flowers at Bondi Pavilion and flocked to give blood at donation centres.
The federal opposition leader Sussan Ley said there had been a “failure” to protect Jewish Australians.
The government’s antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal said the Bondi shooting was shocking but “something that we maybe felt was inevitable because of the rising antisemitism in the country.”
Anthony Albanese rejected claims from Benjamin Netanyahu that the Bondi massacre was linked to Australia’s recognition of Palestinian statehood.
The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the mass shooting.
Australia Palestine Advocacy Network has “unequivocally condemned” the shooting and said the “perpetrators of this horrendous attack do not represent our movement or the values we uphold”.
A Muslim cemetery in south-western Sydney has been allegedly vandalised with butchered pig heads and other animal parts.
Australia is still coming to terms with what happened on Sunday. Stay with us, and please look after yourselves and your loved ones.
Updated
‘A real-life hero’: Chris Minns visits Ahmed al-Ahmed in hospital
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has visited Ahmed al-Ahmed, the bystander who tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen, in hospital.
In a post on Instagram, Minns said:
Ahmed is a real-life hero. Last night, his incredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at enormous personal risk.
It was an honour to spend time with him just now and to pass on the thanks of people across NSW.
There is no doubt that more lives would have been lost if not for Ahmed’s selfless courage.
Thank you, Ahmed.
Updated
NSW Health gives update on people in hospital
An update from NSW Health just now puts the number of people being treated in hospital as at 8pm tonight at 26, down from 27 earlier this afternoon.
Updated
Minns: 'I’m determined to introduce the toughest gun legislation in the country'
The NSW government is looking to recall parliament as soon as possible to introduce new gun restrictions, “to crack down on gun ownership and gun licensing in New South Wales”, premier Chris Minns has said.
Minns said:
The areas that we will look at are the perpetual nature of licences, to ensure that people have to renew. We will particularly look at whether criminal intelligence, rather than criminal records, is a reason to restrict access to a licence. Of course, age limits and access to particular kinds of guns, as well as the quantity of guns.
What I’m trying to say is that I’m determined to introduce the toughest gun legislation in the country and I believe it needs to be passed and put into legislation as soon as possible.
Updated
Minns promises ‘comprehensive investigation’ into Bondi attack
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, says there will be a “comprehensive investigation” into the events of Sunday, including the police response, and that the state government would act on the recommendations that come out of it.
Also speaking to ABC’s 7.30, Minns said there were several Jewish events happening yesterday afternoon:
I think it’s important to state that police were tasked with protecting the community and police did engage the shooters on the site. Now, we need to make sure that, from today, there’s a massive police operation for safety and security and, of course, we need to learn the lessons of the weekend.
What I can promise is a comprehensive investigation, a full independent inquiry into exactly what has happened, and we’ll act on the terms of that investigation. We will act on the recommendations.
Minns continued:
It’s important have an investigation, but tonight, two police officers are in critical condition in New South Wales hospitals as a result of engaging these gunmen. So I mean, enormous and incredible example of courage and heroism from New South Wales police officers, some of whom have only been in the job a number months.
So I think we need to give a bit of time for a full investigation into what happened. I would urge people not to jump to conclusions, but one thing that should be beyond a shadow of a doubt and that is our police officers acted with bravery and honour and didn’t falter in the most terrible of circumstances.
Updated
‘We will unite, we will work together, we will continue to overcome antisemitism’
The prime minister also reiterated the message of unity when asked how he would respond to anyone who might link the massacre to Muslim immigration.
Anthony Albanese said:
What we’ve seen in the last 24 hours ago was the worst of humanity in a terrorist act. But we also saw an example of the best of humanity in Ahmed al-Ahmed, running towards danger, putting his own life at risk, being shot twice by the second perpetrator, as he took the gun, bravely, off this terrorist – and that saved lives.
We in Australia, regardless of who people believe in, what their faith is, or whether they have no faith at all, overwhelmingly, we are a great nation and we are not going to allow anyone, let alone these terrorists, to divide us.
What we will do is we will unite, we will work together, we will continue to overcome antisemitism. And we will continue to oppose terrorism. And we will work to show the country just the bravery, to honour those people who bravely stood up, including the two police officers who have been injured, because they also ran towards danger.
Updated
Albanese rejects Netanyahu's suggestion that attack linked to recognition of Palestinian state
Anthony Albanese has repudiated the suggestion from Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Australia’s recognition of the state of Palestine had caused the terror attack by “pour[ing] fuel on the antisemitic fire”.
Asked if he accepted a link between recognition of Palestinian statehood and the massacre in Bondi, Albanese said:
No, I don’t and overwhelmingly, most of the world recognises a two-state solution as being the way forward in the Middle East.
Albanese continued, saying that what was required of him:
As Australia’s prime minister at this time, [it] is to bring the nation together, to promote unity … to say, this is a moment of national unity where we need to come together.
Updated
‘This is different from Port Arthur,’ says PM
While discussing gun laws, Albanese distinguishes the massacre at Port Arthur in 1996 and yesterday’s Bondi attack.
He said:
We need to examine the gun laws that were carried in the wake of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. This is different from Port Arthur, though. Port Arthur was someone engaged in random violence against people. This [Bondi] was targeted. This is ideologically driven. And therefore, is a different form of hatred and atrocity.
Port Arthur, of course, was a stain on us that’s still being affected. But this is very different.
Updated
PM says son not put on watch list after 2019 investigation into jailed connections
Albanese goes back over the background that law enforcement agencies have so far made available about the pair: the father came to Australia on a student visa in 1998. He met his partner in Australia and applied for a spouse visa in 2000, which was approved in 2001. The son was born in Australia.
Albanese said:
Originally, the reports last night indicated that someone else had dropped them off [at the beach]. That wasn’t the case. The car was there. In addition to that, there were a range of IEDs there – explosive devices that were intended to cause further damage [in Bondi].
The son was not on a watch list, Albanese said, adding that he was investigated because of his connections with two people who both subsequently went to jail. There was no clear evidence in 2019 that the man had been radicalised.
Updated
PM says ‘no evidence’ alleged shooters were part of a cell
The father and son alleged shooters were not “part of a wider [terrorist] cell”, Anthony Albanese says.
Speaking to ABC TV’s 7.30, the prime minister said the “clear advice” that intelligence authorities had given him was that there was “no evidence of collusion; there’s no evidence that these people were part of a cell”.
Albanese continued:
Clearly, they were motivated by this extremist ideology, and further detail, of course, will be released when the police go through their work. It’s an ongoing investigation, an active investigation.
Updated
Scott Morrison arrives at memorial
Former prime minister Scott Morrison, wearing a yarmulke, and his family have just circled the growing pile of floral tributes at Bondi Pavilion.
Updated
Candles, bouquets and song fill Bondi Pavilion as dusk falls on forecourt
Hundreds have gathered as dusk falls on the forecourt of the Bondi Pavilion.
The crowd has fallen silent after an earlier round of traditional Hanukah songs and a rendition of Advance Australia Fair. Lit candles are starting to form a perimeter around the hundreds of colourful bouquets placed in an ever-growing circle.
Updated
Man who tackled alleged Bondi gunman ‘couldn’t bear to see people dying’
When Ahmed al-Ahmed tackled and wrested a gun from an alleged shooter at Bondi beach, he was simply thinking that he “couldn’t bear to see people dying”, his cousin says.
Less than a day later, al-Ahmed remains in a critical but stable condition at St George hospital in Sydney. Since the attack, the 43-year-old father of two young girls has catapulted to international fame and been hailed a hero by Anthony Albanese, Chris Minns and Donald Trump.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Thousands gather at shooting site to mark 24 hours since attack
Guardian Australia’s Ben Doherty is down at Bondi Pavilion, and he estimates there are several thousand people gathered there to mark 24 hours since the shooting.
Updated
‘Public safety must come first’: Zali Steggall backs tougher gun laws after
The Sydney independent MP Zali Steggall has welcomed plans by the national cabinet to strengthen gun laws.
She called the shooting at Bondi Beach an “abhorrent act of violence”:
It’s a tragic reminder that public safety must always come first – and that gun laws must be strong enough to protect all Australians and prevent future tragedies.
There are today more than 4m legally owned guns in Australia, more than before the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
Howard government-era laws passed in response to that tragedy have curtailed the firearm risk for nearly 30 years. Strengthening and modernising them now will help close dangerous loopholes and reduce the risk of firearms being used to cause further harm.
I welcome news that changes to be considered include accelerating work on the national gun register, capping the number of licenses granted to an individual, and restricting the types of guns that can be obtained.
Updated
Flowers mound as a mourning community gathers in prayer and quiet resilience
There is a constant quiet procession of hundreds of mourners, many clutching flowers, heading towards the pavilion forecourt. The mound of tributes, along with the crowd, is growing steadily.
On the lawn further back, a sense of quiet resilience and spiritual seeking pervades the pop-up synagogue, as members of the Jewish community gather to perform the spiritual ritual Tefillin, the strapping of leather boxes containing Torah scrolls to the head and arm of males over 13, symbolising the connection of a man’s heart and mind to God for the entire day.
Shalom Druin, a visiting rabbi from Miami, Florida, never expected he’d be doing this at a crime scene in Sydney.
On Sunday, he was just pulling out of his car space at the pavilion, leaving the celebrations early to attend another ceremony on the busy first day of Hanukah, when he heard what sounded like fireworks. As he exited Campbell Parade, his mobile began to ring, and police sirens sounded.
“I couldn’t believe it. I was in shock,” he says as he winds the long leather bands around the left arm of another distraught man.
“We stopped. And I went home to pray.”
Back today, the “horrible, horrible, tragic terrorist attack that happened” is bringing the faithful closer to God, he says.
“They feel they want to connect.”
Updated
Abandoned towels and empty shores as chaotic scenes turn to quiet
It’s early evening, and Bondi beach is almost deserted.
Almost all the cafes, restaurants, takeaway outlets and retailers lining Campbell Parade remain shuttered.
A few couples walk the 1km stretch of sand, while several fully clothed solitary figures sit staring out to sea. There are no swimmers, not in the sea nor in the Wally Weekes ocean pool. Just two surfers ride waves.
Police continue to blockade the promenade between the Bondi Pavilion and the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club. Just outside the perimeter, dozens of colourful beach towels, tied to the railings, flap in the wind, waiting to be claimed by yesterday’s beachgoers.
Neat piles of sneakers, thongs, clothing, children’s beach toys, a stroller and a booster seat are stacked against the promenade walls.
On the pavilion’s southern side, abandoned collapsible deck chairs and picnic rugs still lie within the cyclone fences that a late afternoon gust seems to have got the better of.
Updated
Photos: Mourners and community leaders leave flowers at attack site
Updated
Islamophobia Register Australia urge Australians ‘to reject all forms of hatred’
The Islamophobia Register Australia has expressed its sadness and horror at the Bondi shooting yesterday.
Dr Nora Amath, the Register’s executive director, said:
We are witnessing an unspeakable tragedy that has shaken the Jewish community, the Bondi community and the nation. Our hearts are with those who were killed, those who were injured, and everyone whose lives have been forever changed by this violence.
No one should ever fear for their safety because of who they are or how they practise their faith. The right to live, worship, and gather without fear is fundamental to a just and democratic society.
How we respond now matters. We must choose compassion over fear, responsibility over speculation, and unity over division.
Violence of any kind against any community was unacceptable, the organisation’s statement said, and the Register extended its solidarity to the Jewish community, along with “all faith and cultural communities affected by such violence, and with those working for peace, understanding, and justice.”
The statement continued:
In times of tragedy, fear, division, and hate can escalate. We urge all Australians to reject all forms of hatred, and to respond with empathy and care. We also call on leaders, media, and community figures to act responsibly, avoid harmful speculation, and promote unity.
Updated
National cabinet emphasises national coordination on counter-terrorism
The national cabinet meeting pledged to eradicate antisemitism, hate, violence and terrorism, according to a statement, and emphasised Australia’s commitment to national coordination on countering terrorism and violent extremism, social cohesion, resourcing and rhetoric to ensure community safety.
The statement said:
National Cabinet noted the ongoing work across jurisdictions to tackle anti-Semitism such as establishing the National Hate Crimes and Incidents Database, enhancing security of Jewish community and cultural sites, and coordinated work across intelligence and police agencies.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has visited the Bondi memorial site since the meeting wrapped up.
Updated
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, Australian federal police commissioner, Krissy Barrett, and Asio director general of security, Mike Burgess, all briefed national cabinet this afternoon.
They discussed the latest police intelligence and actions in relation to the Bondi shootings.
A statement said:
Leaders agreed that yesterday’s horrific anti-Semitic terrorist attack has no place in Australia and that the evil scourge of anti-Semitism must be eradicated.
Updated
National cabinet vows 'strong, decisive and focused action' on gun laws
The meeting of national cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has wrapped up in the past few minutes.
A statement says:
Leaders agreed that strong, decisive and focused action was needed on gun law reform as an immediate action, including renegotiating the National Firearms Agreement, first established after the 1996 Port Arthur tragedy, to ensure it remains as robust as possible in today’s changing security environment.
First Ministers agreed to strengthen gun laws across the nation and have commissioned their Police Ministers and Attorneys-General to develop options, including:
• Accelerating work on standing up the National Firearms Register;
• Allowing for additional use of criminal intelligence to underpin firearms licencing that can be used in administrative licencing regimes;
• Limiting the number of firearms to be held by any one individual;
• Limiting open-ended firearms licencing and the types of guns that are legal, including modifications; and
•A condition of a firearm license is holding Australian citizenship.Premier Minns and Premier Cook will lead and coordinate this work across jurisdictions.
As an immediate priority, the Australian Government will commence work on potential further Customs restrictions of firearms and other weapons type importations, including 3D printing, novel technology and firearms equipment that can hold large amounts of ammunition.
First Ministers also reiterated their commitment to the Permanent National Firearms Amnesty to reduce the number of unregistered firearms in the community.
Updated
Peter Meagher, who was killed in the Bondi attack, has been remembered by Randwick Rugby club where he was a volunteer.
Randwick Rugby president, Brian O’Sullivan, said in a statement this afternoon that “Marzo”, as they called him, “embodied all that is great about our community – selfless, dedicated and loyal to the core”.
He continued:
[Meagher] was loved by everyone who crossed paths with him through a life of service in rugby as manager and referee and something like 40 years police officer.
The Meagher family are part of the fabric of our club. From Wallabies Hall of Famer “Wally” Meagher to former club president and NSWRU life member Ron Meagher, Peter’s contributions as a third-generation member of the Galloping Greens were extraordinary, most notably as manager of our Shute Shield team.
Training at Latham and Saturday at Coogee Oval won’t feel the same without him. “Marzo” as he was universally known, was a much-loved figure and absolute legend in our club, with decades of voluntary involvement, he was one of the heart and soul figures of Randwick Rugby, his legacy will live on in the hearts of all who pull on the Galloping Greens jersey.
O’Sullivan extended his condolences to Meagher’s family and the Jewish community.
You can read more about the victims of the attack here:
Updated
Health authorities provide update on injured victims
NSW Health has provided an update on the victims of the Bondi shooting who are receiving medical care.
As of 5pm today, there were 27 patients receiving care in several Sydney hospitals for their injuries:
Three patients are in a stable condition at Prince of Wales hospital.
One patient is in a critical but stable condition, and two patients are in a stable condition at St George hospital.
Three patients are in a stable condition at Sydney eye hospital.
Three patients are in a critical condition and two patients are in a critical but stable condition at St Vincent’s hospital.
Three patients are in a critical condition, two patients are in a critical but stable condition and one patient is stable at Royal Prince Alfred hospital.
Two patients are in a stable condition at Sydney children’s hospital, Randwick.
One patient is in a critical but stable condition and two patients are in a stable condition at Royal North Shore hospital.
Two patients are in a stable condition at Liverpool hospital.
Updated
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has spoken to India’s minister of external affairs, Dr S Jaishankar, in the past few hours, briefing him on the Bondi shooting and subsequent investigation.
Wong said:
I thanked Minister Jaishankar for his condolences and for the Indian government’s messages of support.
We agreed that there must be no place for antisemitism, violence and terrorism.
Updated
Intelligence ‘failures across the board’, Frydenberg says
There had “clearly been failures across the board” given intelligence agencies had previously assessed Naveed Akram and deemed him not an ongoing risk, the former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg has said.
Speaking to ABC TV this afternoon, Frydenberg called for “a transparent and public inquiry to understand what has gone wrong”:
What were the warnings that were missed? Why has Australia been the site been the scene of such death and destruction?
Updated
Jessica was ‘eating donuts and celebrating light’ with her family. Then peace turned to terror
Jessica Rozen ran, searching desperately for her three-year-old son as the shots rang out at Bondi beach on Sunday.
Rozen had attended the Chanukah by the Sea event with her family when the terrorist attack began that evening, bringing a terrifying end to the day’s Jewish celebration of light.
Her husband was running with their toddler when she noticed a little girl screaming. She lay on top of her until the shooting stopped and the girl’s dad came.
Photos shared with Guardian Australia show Rozen, with blood in her hair, lying on top of a little girl in a pink shirt with colourful face paint.
Rozen’s actions are among the stories of heroism by ordinary people that have emerged from Sunday’s terror attack at Bondi beach. Read the full story here:
Updated
National cabinet meets to discuss gun laws after Bondi attack
A snap meeting of the national cabinet is under way as the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, pushes to strengthen gun control laws in the wake of the Bondi massacre.
In his opening remarks to Monday afternoon’s virtual meeting with state and territory leaders, Albanese said:
The antisemitic terrorism incident in Bondi, I think, has shaken the whole nation, not just people in Sydney and New South Wales, in particular, members of the Jewish community have been devastated by what is an unprecedented scale of attack on the Australian way of life.
Today’s meeting is about making sure that we have states and territories aligned here, making sure we send a message as well to Jewish Australians that we stand together against antisemitism, giving a message to all Australians that we stand against terrorism and that we will do whatever it is that we can, if laws need to be adjusted, to make changes.
One of the suggestions that will be on the agenda today is to have an examination of our gun laws to make sure that if there is any tightening or changes which are required, that we put in place mechanisms.
Updated
How the Bondi attack was reported around the world
The deadly terrorist attack at Bondi beach, and the heroic acts of bystanders in response to it, were the focus on newspaper front pages across the world on Monday morning.
We’ve wrapped them all together here:
Updated
Woman escorted from Bondi memorial
A woman wearing a keffiyeh has been escorted away from the Bondi memorial today. Footage circulating on social media shows her surrounded by police and being ushered from the site.
NSW police said in a statement this afternoon:
A 67-year-old woman has been issued a move on direction after allegedly breaching the peace during a vigil at Bondi this afternoon.
Updated
Bondi attackers 'do not represent our movement': Palestine Advocacy Network
Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (Apan) has “unequivocally condemn[ed] the antisemitic terrorist attack at Bondi Beach,” and said in a statement this afternoon that the “perpetrators of this horrendous attack do not represent our movement or the values we uphold”.
The organisation’s members are “deeply saddened and heartbroken by the violence” directed at the Jewish community, the statement said.
It continued:
Week after week, we have gathered together – the best of our community, from First Nations leaders, members of the Jewish community, side by side with Palestinian siblings, and the wider Arab community, among many other allies from all walks of life. Together, we have insisted on a world that is free from racism and hate. And we will continue to insist that antisemitism, like all forms of racism and hate, has no place in our society.
In the midst of this tragedy, we saw an extraordinary act of courage – Ahmed al Ahmed’s heroic intervention in disarming the gunman and saving many lives. His bravery calls on all of us to respond in kind, by standing against hatred and refusing to demonise or vilify Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim communities. We can only counter violence and fear by coming together at every opportunity.
Apan also said it was “deeply concerned by comments from Antisemitism Envoy Jillian Segal that seek to draw false links between this act of violence and the March for Humanity earlier this year,” which was and remains peaceful, multicultural, uniting hundreds of thousands of people, including many in the Jewish community, in opposing genocide and racism, the statement said.
It continued:
Such claims by Segal misdirect grief, fuel division, and undermine the urgent need for unity and a clear rejection of all forms of racism, including antisemitism.
Apan’s president, Nasser Mashni, and executive member Dr Jordana Silverstein both also expressed their personal condemnation of yesterday’s events and their solidarity with the Jewish community at this time.
Updated
Victorian lawyers’ groups offer condolences
The Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner, the Law Institute of Victoria, the Victorian Bar and the Legal Practitioners’ Liability Committee have issued a joint statement in the wake of the Bondi shootings.
The statement says:
We are united in our shock and sorrow following the horrific attacks that took place at Bondi Beach yesterday evening.
Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those who have been tragically affected by this abhorrent violence. This has particularly impacted the Jewish community of Sydney and across Australia, a community that is an integral and cherished part of our multicultural society.
We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and all who have been affected by this senseless violence. Everyone has the right to safety, security and freedom from fear.
We condemn these acts of antisemitism, extremism and violence in the strongest possible terms. We reaffirm our commitment to the rule of law, which underpins the safety and security of all in Australia.
We are united in our resolve that such acts of violence and hate will not undermine the values of inclusion and fundamental freedoms, including of religion and other rights, which define our community.
Updated
Muslim groups condemn Bondi beach attack
As we reported earlier, Muslim peak bodies and community groups have put out statements condemning yesterday’s attack. The Darulfatwa Islamic High Council of Australia has said the attack was “wholly incompatible with Australian values and principles of peaceful coexistence”.
In a statement on X, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association said it was “shocked and saddened at the loss of innocent lives” in the attack:
We stand in solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters during this time of deep grief and sorrow.
In a statement to Guardian Australia, the Bonnyrigg mosque, near to the residential address of the alleged gunmen, said its community “unequivocally condemn[s] the violent and senseless attack at Bondi Beach”. It is not suggested the men were part of the congregation.
The mosque’s statement continued:
We extend our sincere condolences to the victims, their families, and the wider community. Violence driven by hatred – be it racial, religious, or ideological – has no place in Australia and must be rejected fully.
We stand united with affected communities and all Australians shaken by this incident. No community should live in fear, nor should any faith be blamed for an individual’s actions.
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NSW government details community condolence and support services
The NSW government has outlined some options for community members who would like to offer condolences in the wake of the shooting.
Those with floral tributes are requested to please lay them at the rear of Bondi Pavilion.
Condolence messages for the families affected by the attack can be left on the online condolence book on the government information page.
Victims, families of those who have died, and those who have been affected by the incident can seek support through the Victims Support Scheme. It includes counselling and financial assistance, including assistance to pay for funeral expenses. It can be reached on 1800 411 822 from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Trained disaster mental health support clinicians and NSW Health staff will be available on the ground at Bondi over the coming days and weeks. They will be identifiable by wearing NSW Health vests and members of the community who are feeling distress are urged to make themselves known to those mental health clinicians.
Telephone mental health services are available as follows:
NSW Health’s dedicated Mental Health Line is available 24/7 on 1800 011 511.
Lifeline is on 13 11 14.
Children and young people can call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or chat online at www.kidshelpline.com.au.
Beyond Blue is on 1300 22 46 36.
More information on available support, the floral tribute and the online condolence book are available on the NSW government’s website.
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Butchered pig heads found at Muslim cemetery in Sydney
A Muslim cemetery at Narellan, in south-western Sydney, has been allegedly vandalised with butchered pig heads and other animal parts, NSW police have said.
Police received reports at around 6am of animal remains left at the entrance to a cemetery on Richardson Rd, Narellan, according to a statement today.
The statement continued:
Officers attached to Camden Police Area Command attended and found several pig heads at the scene.
Police immediately commenced an investigation into the incident.
The pig heads have since been removed and disposed of appropriately.
Inquiries are ongoing.
The Lebanese Muslim Association bought the graveyard in the grounds of St Thomas’ Anglican church in 2008 to help overcome a shortage of burial sites.
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Members of the public deliver flowers to man who tackled alleged shooter
Outside St George hospital in Kogarah, a family of three have come to deliver flowers to Ahmed al-Ahmed, the heroic bystander who tackled and wrestled a gun from one of the two alleged gunmen during the Bondi beach mass shooting.
Al-Ahmed continues to be treated for gunshot wounds at the hospital. Miroslava Pochuev, 7, held the bouquet of flowers, on which she had written a note to the bystander. Her parents, Veronica and Misha Pochuev, said they didn’t know al-Ahmed personally but wanted to show their respect and admiration for his bravery.
Misha said:
We just wanted to show our gratitude for what he’s done … To cheer him up.
Before arriving at the hospital, they had laid flowers at Bondi, where Misha said tears “just started coming out”:
It was very sombre.
Veronica has both Muslim and Jewish heritage and said:
This is not only about Bondi … This is about all of us.
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Sussan Ley says stricter gun laws ‘must be on the table’
The opposition leader has said gun reform “must be on the table” after earlier avoiding indicating whether the Coalition would support tighter laws on firearm ownership.
Anthony Albanese this afternoon said national cabinet would look to limit the number of guns individuals could licence, review licences over time and stop licences from being granted in perpetuity.
Speaking to Guardian Australia before the prime minister revealed those proposals, Sussan Ley said she agreed the option should be open. She stopped short of committing to support specific limits:
Everything must be on the table when it comes to looking at reforms about weapons access and anything else.
Ley offered unqualified support for an immediate recall of parliament and urgent legislation to counter antisemitism and addressing any issues raised by Australia’s security or intelligence agencies.
We need to act on the scourge of antisemitism and we need to do it with actions, not just words.
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Ley says Labor should have brought in tougher antisemitism measures in education system
Stricter regulation of universities and bolstered antisemitism education in schools were among the major proposals Anthony Albanese showed a “lack of leadership” by ignoring, Sussan Ley has said.
Speaking to Guardian Australia while visiting Bondi beach, Ley said the federal government should have reformed the education system when its antisemitism envoy proposed the changes in a July report:
We have to tackle the scourge of antisemitism. We cannot accept that things will continue beyond today just as they always have. From today, everything must change.
Ley has demanded immediate implementation of the reforms and accused the government of failing to lead by not implementing them. Jillian Segal’s report in July called on the government to vet universities’ approach to antisemitism on campus and strip funding if it was not appropriately combated. It also called for stronger school curriculum education on antisemitism.
Asked whether the reforms could have prevented Sunday’s attack, Ley said:
The recommendations speak very strongly to education … When I talk to Australians who are not aware of the deep sense of pain that Jewish Australians are feeling, many of them are not sure what this is … Embedded in what we saw was clearly antisemitism.
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Queensland police say no specific threat outside NSW but will increase presence at places of worship
Queensland’s top police officer has asked people to avoid misinformation and report “threatening behaviour on social media” after the Bondi beach terror attack.
Acting police commissioner, Cheryl Scanlon, said QPS had increased police presence around “places of worship and other significant areas” to help reassure the Jewish community but that police were not aware of any specific threats in Queensland.
Scanlon said at a press conference in Brisbane:
This event is isolated to New South Wales, on our current information …
The state threat level remains at probable, which is consistent with the national advisory.
Scanlon asked “Queenslanders to remain calm, but vigilant”, saying there was “no place for retaliation or retribution”:
We ask that people seek information from reliable sources and maintain peace within our communities.
She said police were monitoring social media and that threatening or concerning online behaviour should be reported to the national security hotline on 1800 123 400.
Asked about tightening gun ownership laws, Scanlon said it was a matter for government debate and not one for “today” – but spoke about “the journey for a national firearms register” which gained renewed impetus after the 2022 fatal shooting of two Queensland police officers and a neighbour in Wieambilla.
Of the register, she said:
That’s a very important thing for this country.
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Person in viral picture with Akram releases statement
The head of a Sydney Koran college who was featured in an old image with Naveed Akram that went viral online says he has not seen the alleged Bondi attacker since 2022.
Sheikh Adam Ismail, head of Al-Murad Institute, said Akram approached the centre in late 2019 seeking Koran citation and Arabic language classes.
He said:
As I’ve done with 1000s of students over the years, I’ve taught him Koran recitation and Arabic only for a combined period of one year. These were the only subjects I taught him, and they are the areas I specialise in …
I want to be very clear that from the beginning, I have absolutely no involvement in what tragically happened yesterday in Bondi. The purpose of this statement is to first clarify my connection to him, secondly, to express my stance on what tragically unfolded, and finally, to explain the Islamic position on such an act.
Ismail said he was deeply saddened by what had occurred, and gave his condolences to the victims and Jewish community.
What I find deeply ironic is that the very Koran he was learning to recite clearly states that taking one innocent life is like killing all of humanity. This makes it clear that what unfolded yesterday at Bondi is completely forbidden in Islam, not everyone who recites the Koran understands it or lives by its teachings …
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my former and current students, friends and family, for their ongoing support and advice during this time. I hope this has brought some clarity.
Albanese praises bravery of police and civilian who tackled one of alleged Bondi shooters
Anthony Albanese wraps up his comments by praising the bravery of the police and of the civilian, who he confirms as Ahmed al-Ahmed, who tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen, and whose actions were captured in extraordinary footage.
Albanese says:
The community are going through a terrible time. This is an incident that is aimed at – by definition, terrorism is aimed at – creating fear in the community. You have these two individuals who have engaged in a horrific act, one is that is completely out of place with the way that Australia functions as a society.
And a contrast with the actions of police who rushed towards Bondi. The actions of Ahmed al-Ahmed, who took the gun off that perpetrator at great risk to himself and suffered serious injury as a result of that, and is currently going through operations today in hospital. At the best of times, what we see is Australians coming together. And what I want is for Australians to come together. For this to be reinforcing the need for us to promote national unity. And that is critical.
There is no place in Australia for antisemitism. There is no place for hatred, and people who were exercising their right to express their faith through Hanukah had every right to expect that they could do that in peace and with a joyful celebration, which is what it is aimed at.
The press conference concludes there.
Updated
Albanese is asked about response to Jillian Segal’s recommendations
Albanese was asked about what the government has done in response to the recommendations from antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal, released in July. Segal has sought an urgent acceleration of those in the wake of the shooting. You can read some background to this here:
Albanese lists a number of changes to law, including criminalisation of hate speech, banning the Nazi salute, and the creation of the national student ombudsman. He concludes by saying he expects they will continue to work together at multiple levels of government on the recommendations.
Updated
Burke and Albanese give some further information about the alleged shooters
The younger of the two alleged shooters is an Australian-born citizen, Tony Burke says. His father arrived in 1998 on a student visa, transferred in 2001 to a partner visa and, after trips overseas, has been on resident return visas three times.
Albanese says the son first came to the attention of Asio in October 2019. He was examined “on the basis of being associated with others”:
And the assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence.
Updated
Visas being fast-tracked for family members to attend funerals, Burke says
Tony Burke, minister for home affairs, speaks briefly on the assistance on offer for families of people who were killed in the shooting.
Burke says:
There are needs for the community right now. One of the additional things that the community have raised directly with me is because of the number of people who will have family members overseas – not only in Israel, but in other parts of the world – who will want to be able to get them here rapidly for funerals.
We have set up a specific section of the department rapidly dealing with visa processing at a pace that would not ordinarily be there to make sure that, given the often speedy nature of funerals in terms of the timeline in the Jewish tradition, to make sure that we maximise the chance for family members to be able to reunited here at the worst of times.
The Department of Home Affairs is also doing other work, as the prime minister referred to, with respect to working through a way to assist with the cost of those funerals.
Updated
Further to his commitment to take tougher gun laws to national cabinet, Albanese notes the gun laws that John Howard’s Coalition government enacted with bipartisan support after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.
Albanese says:
Quite clearly, the Howard government’s gun laws have made an enormous difference in Australia, and a proud moment of reform, quite rightly, achieved across the parliament with bipartisan support. If we need to toughen these up, if there’s anything that we can do, I’m certainly up for it. And I hope to get national cabinet on board for that this afternoon as well.
Updated
Anthony Albanese says tougher gun laws on agenda for national cabinet meeting today
The prime minister says the federal government is prepared to take “whatever action is necessary” in the wake of the shooting.
He continues:
Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws. And this afternoon, at 4pm, I will put on the agenda of the national cabinet tougher gun laws, including limits on the number of guns that can be used or licensed by individuals. A review of licences over a period of time. People’s circumstances can change. People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licences should not be in perpetuity.
Updated
Albanese: ‘Community want to be able to express their support and solidarity’
The prime minister pays tribute to the police officers who attended the scene last night, and many who were off duty and made their way to Bondi to assist.
Albanese continues:
What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil. An act of terror, an act of antisemitism. An attack on the first day of Hanukah targeted at the Jewish community. A dark day in Australia’s history on what should have been a day of light. And visiting the scene there at Bondi this morning, it was a very physical reminder of the iconic status of Bondi beach and the Bondi Pavilion.
I opened that pavilion after the refurbishment just a couple of years ago. It is a historic place. And the fact that this was a venue for this act of evil that was calculated by these perpetrators is just an outrage and a shock to the community.
One of the things that is coming through, though, is that the community want to be able to express their support and solidarity. And I would urge and join with others who have urged Australians across the country to light a candle, put it in their front window at 6:47pm to show that light will indeed defeat darkness – part of what Hanukah celebrates, of course. We are stronger than the cowards who did this.
Updated
Albanese announces extended funding for Jewish security groups
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking now. He says he convened a cabinet meeting this morning and has just come from a meeting with the national security committee, that included the NSW premier, Chris Minns.
Albanese says:
We are extending the funding for the National Council for Jewish Security and its state based community groups to provide overall security cover to the Jewish community as part of that, as is included in Myefo, but we’re pre-empting that announcement today. That’s also for capital works and can be utilised for works by Jewish organisations across Australia.
We’re also working with Jewish community organisations to see how we can best support charity efforts, including through tax-deductible status for donations, and have been doing work on that. The government will also quickly work through the process of a declaration under the Terrorism and Cyclone Insurance Act that would ensure that insurance companies are able to pay out to local businesses for eligible losses.
We’re also working on support for funerals that will be held, but also visitor visas for people who are relatives wishing to visit Australia for the funerals.
Updated
Sixth firearm and third explosive device found at Bondi crime scene today
NSW police have just provided some updated information about the events and police response over the last 24 hours.
Police say that detectives from the Joint Counter Terrorism Team located and seized three firearms and two improvised explosive devices (IED) from the scene of the attack last night.
The statement continues:
Detectives have attended two homes in Bonnyrigg and Campsie overnight as part of ongoing investigations.
During these searches, detectives located and seized a number of additional items including two additional firearms. All items seized will undergo forensic examination.
Following further inquiries, a sixth firearm and third IED were located at the Bondi crime scene today (Monday 15 December 2025). Both are undergoing forensic examinations.
The statement also says that during the incident itself, multiple police officers exchanged fire with the two gunmen and that two officers suffered gunshot wounds – a constable and probationary constable.
Updated
The prime minister will provide another update shortly, he’s due to speak to the media at 2pm.
I’ll leave you with Stephanie Convery to bring you that and the rest of the day’s news and reaction following last night’s terror attack. Take care.
Scenes from the growing memorial at Bondi beach
There’s a big crowd of people at the Bondi pavilion, surrounding a memorial of flowers.
Earlier today, NSW premier Chris Minns encouraged the public to visit and lay flowers at the memorial site.
Updated
Albanese thanks police at Bondi briefing
Anthony Albanese has thanked the off-duty police offers who came to the active shooting scene at Bondi last night to help.
In a statement on X, the prime minister says he received a briefing at Bondi police station today, and thanked many of the officers there.
The dedication and commitment of police officers was on full display last night, when off-duty officers turned up to Bondi to help. They are the best of Australia.
I received a briefing at Bondi Police Station and was able to thank many officers personally. Thank you to all our police for your courage and your service.
The dedication and commitment of police officers was on full display last night, when off-duty officers turned up to Bondi to help.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 15, 2025
They are the best of Australia.
I received a briefing at Bondi Police Station and was able to thank many Officers personally.
Thank you to all… pic.twitter.com/geUPcRHqQo
Updated
Attack was ‘something that we maybe felt was inevitable’, antisemitism envoy says
The government’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal says the Bondi shooting was shocking, but “something that we maybe felt was inevitable because of the rising antisemitism in the country.”
Segal is at Bondi beach, and tells the ABC she has laid a stone at the pavilion, which she says is a traditional Jewish way of paying respect, and has laid some flowers.
Asked about the report she handed to the government, Segal says she made 13 recommendations, many focused on education. She says she’s already established an independent reviewer of universities to provide a report card on how the major universities tackle antisemitism.
Education was my major focus, because that is the way I think we can drive a knowledge of antisemitism, and with knowledge as to what it is and what it is based on, and the sort of myths and folklore that rises up every hundred years or so. We can drive it from our society and from being normalised …
This event yesterday, I think, just highlighted the fact that the hate words that we’ve seen over the last year has progressed to hateful action. That is what happened in history and that’s what has happened here.
Segal’s recommendations, which would see funding stripped from universities, charities and cultural bodies that promote or fail to act against antisemitism were met with concern by academics. She handed her report to the government in July this year.
Updated
Antisemitism ‘must be confronted and defeated’, US state department says
The US state department has released a statement about Penny Wong’s phone call with Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, earlier today.
The department’s principal deputy spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, said the United States strongly condemns the heinous terrorist attack in Australia targeting a Hanukah celebration at Bondi beach.
As Prime Minister Albanese said, this was ‘an act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism.’
We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and with the Australian people as we pray for the victims and their families. We are grateful to Australian first responders and bystanders for their heroic response.
As Jews around the world light Hanukkah candles tonight, they commemorate the triumph of light over darkness and the long history of Jewish resilience in the face of oppression. No community should have to fear publicly celebrating their faith and traditions due to the threat of extremist violence and terror. There can be no compromise with antisemitism – this scourge must be confronted and defeated.
Updated
NSW Health says 27 patients still in hospital
According to the latest update from NSW Health, as of 1pm, 27 patients are still receiving care in hospitals. Of those, six are in a critical condition, and a further six are in a critical but stable condition.
Three patients are in a stable condition at Prince of Wales hospital.
One patient is in a critical condition, and two patients are in a stable condition at St George hospital.
Three patients are in a stable condition at Sydney eye hospital.
Three patients are in a critical condition and three patients are in a critical but stable condition at St Vincent’s hospital.
Two patients are in a critical condition, three patients are in a critical but stable condition and one patient is stable at Royal Prince Alfred hospital.
Two patients are in a stable condition at Sydney children’s hospital, Randwick.
Two patients are in a stable condition at Royal North Shore hospital.
Two patients are in a stable condition at Liverpool hospital.
The NSW Health statement said: “NSW Health extends its deepest sympathies to the families, friends and loved ones of those who died and were injured at Bondi Beach”.
Patients continue to be discharged or transferred to other hospitals when required. Some patients have also self-presented at hospitals for care.
Updated
We have some more photos coming in – earlier today Sussan Ley with her shadow cabinet colleagues visited Bondi beach, laying flowers and speaking with Jewish community representatives and locals.
Updated
‘Very, very hard to predict or pre-empt’ attackers who act by themselves, Malcolm Turnbull says
Former prime minister and former member for Wentworth Malcolm Turnbull has also been at Bondi beach today.
He spoke to the ABC from the scene earlier and said it was surreal to imagine that this attack could have happened in Bondi.
It’s a community that’s very diverse, that’s multicultural. I mean, I spent my whole life in and out of Bondi, truly. So, it’s just, I’m still struggling to believe this happened.
Turnbull says if the two alleged shooters were acting by themselves, it would have been “very hard” for security agencies to predict or pre-empt the attack.
Turnbull also says there are “very fair questions” being asked about why the 50-year-old was able to legally have so many guns.
I’m very familiar with dealing with terrorism and the challenge of terrorism. We put enormous resources into it, and the government has continued to do that. The threat is always evolving, unfortunately. And it is very difficult to prevent a single act of terror, particularly when people are acting by themselves, or as it appears this time, with a father and a son.
Where there are elaborate conspiracies, often intelligence can identify it in advance … I certainly don’t know, but if this was just two people acting together, then it is very, very hard to predict that or pre-empt it.
Updated
Massive queues as Sydneysiders flock to donate blood
As the queue stretched to almost half a kilometre by late morning outside the Red Cross’s Lifeblood Centre at Sydney’s town hall, volunteers distributed cartons of juice and snacks to donors as they settled in for what they were warned would be a three to four hour wait.
For young concertgoers Renee and Olivia, who flew into Sydney from New Zealand to see Lady Gaga on Saturday night, sacrificing most of their Monday in their brief four-day sojourn in Australia was their way of counting their blessings; the pair had planned to spend the entire Sunday at Bondi Beach until about 8pm. But by 3.45pm, the heat got the better of Palmerston North students and they retreated from the sand back to their accommodation. Olivia said she’s “never given blood before”.
I tried to go online to see if there was anything about donating for the first time or anything about travel restrictions but I couldn’t get that information. I hope it will be OK.
Nicole Brooker from Los Angeles California has also only been in the country two days.
“I’m standing here, thinking about Sandy Hook Elementary – it’s the anniversary of that tragedy today over there – and I was living in Boston when the marathon bombing happened,” she said.
I’ve given blood a few times over the years, but I’m not a regular, I actually don’t even know if I can because the [Red Cross] website wouldn’t let me take the quiz, because in the US there are rules … But I don’t know what the rules are here. I’ll just stay in the queue.
Joe from Maroubra Beach read the Guardian’s coverage this morning about additional blood being needed. He went to the Red Cross website for more information but the site was down so he just headed into the city.
I’d say I haven’t given in about 20 or 30 years … but I think I’m an A minus which is fairly rare, so I sort of figured out now is as good a time as any to come in and make an effort.
It was Gemma’s A negative blood type that prompted her to schedule an earlier appointment for her regular donation, which the CBD worker usually ducks out to do every couple of months. “I’m a universal donor, so yeah, it just made sense to come down.”
Updated
Ley declines to say whether Coalition would support federal gun control reforms
Sussan Ley has dodged questions on whether the opposition would support reforms to tighten gun ownership in Australia.
Speaking to Sky News, the opposition leader says she’s been speaking to members of the Jewish community this morning. She says the common theme from what she’s been hearing this morning is that “a lot of words have been said, now some actions need to be taken”.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said a moment ago that the NSW government will look to bring in gun control reforms in his state.
Asked whether Ley would support reforms at the federal level, she says:
These are valid questions, and the New South Wales government will obviously make its statements in due course. But because today is the day when people are in hospital beds and their families are by their sides, it’s not a discussion that I will engage in.
Ley reiterates that the PM should accept the recommendations from antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal’s report.
Updated
Residents return to Bonnyrigg home after police search
Three people have just returned to a house in Bonnyrigg, which is owned by the mother of Naveed Akram.
A car pulled up out the front of the house shortly after police took down tape that had cordoned off the area.
A young man and two women, who held paper over their heads to shield their identities, exited the car and walked into the home.
Neighbours told Guardian Australia that they had seen police escort three people from the home at around 1am on Monday morning.
Updated
Australian Medical Association praises healthcare workers and first responders
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) said in a statement that the organisation is “shocked and dismayed by the violent terror attack committed last night during a celebration of Hanukkah at Bondi”.
The federal AMA president, Dr Danielle McMullen, said doctors across the country were horrified by the attacks and had expressed their deep sorrow for all the victims and their families.
We are so deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and the injuries inflicted on so many people who were innocently celebrating at a Hanukkah event.
The many injured, both physically and mentally, will be cared for by our colleagues with compassion and empathy.
McMullen praised the many healthcare workers and first responders who treated and cared for victims.
This is an incredibly challenging time for the many first responders and healthcare workers who have been confronted with the impacts of this attack and may have to deal with those impacts for a long time to come.
We stand by to offer our support to them as they deal with those impacts. It will be a long road for many. We stand by our Jewish communities as they, with our support, deal with the immediate impacts and the aftermath.
McMullen said the AMA condemned violence and hatred and the division these kinds of attacks seek to sow.
We condemn terrorism, and we stand with all those who are calling for a safe Australia, free of division and persecution … If people need to talk, there is help available, including for doctors through the Drs4Drs service, which offers independent, free, safe, supportive and confidential services across Australia.
Updated
Minns pledges to tighten gun laws to make them ‘fit for purpose’
Chris Minns has flagged he will push to tighten gun laws in the aftermath of the Bondi shooting, that has killed 16 people – including the gunman – and left 38 people in hospital with injuries.
The premier says the laws “need to change and they can change”, but won’t say yet what that legislation might look like.
It means introducing a bill to parliament to – to be really blunt, making it more difficult to get these horrifying weapons that have no practical use in our community. If you’re not a farmer, you’re not involved in agriculture, why do you need these massive weapons to put the public in danger and make life dangerous and difficult for New South Wales police?
So, I understand – of course I understand – the genuine desire to have information about how the law will change, we’re less than 24 hours into this horrifying crime. I want to make sure that legislation and reform that we bring to parliament makes a big difference. But that’s entirely my intention and my colleagues feel the same way.
Minns says granting firearms licences in perpetuity is not fit for purpose, and will look to restrict firearms further for the general public.
We need to make sure the firearms legislation in New South Wales is fit for purpose. That does mean restricting firearms for the general public, for the people of New South Wales. You don’t need them on New South Wales streets.
Updated
Police working through alleged shooters’ backgrounds, commissioner says
Lanyon isn’t able to provide any more details about the two alleged shooters. He confirmed during a press conference earlier this morning that the two were father and son.
The father, a 50-year-old man, has held a firearms licence since 2015, police said.
We are very much working through the background of both persons. At this stage we know very little about them.
Lanyon says police are trawling through CCTV footage, social media to try to find more details.
Asked whether information sharing between the federal police and NSW police on counter-terrorism has improved, Lanyon says:
I think both organisations work very closely together and very well. It’s too premature in relation to this specific incident to talk about the information sharing. The AFP and the New South Wales police work within joint counter-terrorism arrangements. We’re committed as both agencies, I have spoken to the federal police commissioner, to make sure we work closely together we keep the community safer so I’m very confident that both agencies are working together.
Updated
Officers were stationed around Bondi beach area at the time of the attack, commissioner says
Mal Lanyon says police have taken the Jewish community’s safety very seriously, and said response by emergency services last night were prompt.
The NSW police commissioner says there were police who were stationed around the event.
They were taskings, so officers are continually going through the location. There were officers there at the time when the incident occurred.
Asked whether there should have been more police officers stationed at Bondi beach during the Hanukah event, Lanyon says there was no specific intelligence related to the incident before it took place.
He pushes back against criticism that police didn’t go in fast enough in response to the gunfire.
I think anyone who has seen the footage will have seen police going forward to take positive action. It would have been an incredibly chaotic and terrifying scene. Even for well trained police officers. The fact that two persons had long-arms and were indiscriminately firing them says the act of bravery about going forward is something we should all celebrate.
Updated
One of alleged shooters was 'entitled' to carry a weapon under NSW law, police say, as Minns flags reforms
Premier Chris Minns says the NSW government is looking at potential reforms to gun laws, when asked how a man in “suburbia” was able to have six licensed firearms.
I think it’s time we have a change to the law in relation to the firearms legislation in New South Wales. But I’m not ready to announce it today. We want to make sure that prospective reform and change in New South Wales has a lasting impact. You can expect action soon.
The police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, says the firearms registry conducts a “thorough examination” of all firearms applications. The 50-year-old man, who was shot dead by police on Sunday, held a gun licence which police say permitted him to have “the long arms he had”.
There are two types of hunting licence, the act to hunt on a property or also as part of a hunting club. So a gun club. He was a member of a gun club and was entitled by nature of the Firearms Act to have a firearms licence issued.
Lanyon is asked whether the firearms registry would have spoken to national security agencies before approving the gun licence. Lanyon says:
Depending on the nature of it, that’s very much under investigation. We want to understand whether the person was and certainly by criteria he was eligible to hold a firearms licence. We do take into account all intelligence that’s available.
Updated
Premier welcomes 'massive' lines at blood donation services, promises 'overwhelming' response
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says the shooting is being met with an “overwhelming” response from authorities and the community.
He says he encourages the public to lay flowers at a memorial site that was established at Bondi pavilion this morning, and says it’s also encouraging to see record inquiries and “massive lines” at blood donation services.
This is a shocking act of violence, and it needs to be met with an overwhelming government, community and police response. Operation Shelter will be overwhelming.
It may be inconvenient for people in the coming days, but we need to send a clear message to the people of this state and those in the affected community that have seen so much violence and damage that New South Wales police are there to protect them, to keep them safe, and that they’ve got every right to celebrate their faith and enjoy this festive period free from the profound worry and sadness associated with this horrible violence.
Minns will attend a NSW crisis cabinet meeting this afternoon, which he says will continue to meet daily, as well as meetings of the national cabinet which will also be attended by national security officials.
Updated
Surviving Bondi shooter still in hospital but will likely face charges, police say
NSW police are providing another update from Sydney, alongside NSW premier Chris Minns.
NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, says he’s visited the families and officers who were injured yesterday.
He says there are more than 320 police officers who have been sent out to protect members of the Jewish community.
This is a time that police will take action to make sure the community feels safe. This is not what we expect in New South Wales. These types of actions. What we saw yesterday is abhorrent, we have taken firm action, we are keen to make sure the community now heals.
Lanyon says he doesn’t want to prejudice any justice process, but that one of the alleged gunmen – the 24-year-old – is in hospital and that, “based on his medical condition, it’s likely that person may face criminal charges.”
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How NSW gun numbers surged to more than 1m in the past 20 years
Successive state governments in NSW have had an ambivalent approach to gun control over the past two decades since Port Arthur prompted an Australia-wide crackdown.
The reason is the power of the pro-gun lobby in NSW represented in parliament by the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, which holds key numbers in the state’s upper house.
The single-issue party may only hold two seats in the Legislative Council, but they are often crucial to getting legislation through, particularly when there is opposition from the progressives on the crossbench.
The Shooters have also made inroads in the lower house by winning regional seats or coming close, usually at the expense of the NSW Nationals.
In the past six months, the Minns Labor government has demonstrated its susceptibility to the shooting lobby by openly entertaining support for a private member’s bill that proposed a right to hunt and would have allowed recreational hunting in state forests and crown lands.
After pushback from victims’ groups and Walter Mikac, whose children Alannah and Madeleine were killed at Port Arthur, Chris Minns balked at enshrining the right to hunt, and changes that would have allowed the use of silencers and night vision goggles (which were opposed by NSW police as well).
The premier eventually also said no to a hunting authority (even though it was in the state budget), which many feared would lead to a government-funded lobby group for hunters. But Minns was still toying with allowing the bill to be debated in government time as late as a few weeks ago.
There has certainly been no debate about clamping down on guns in NSW over the past decade, despite some high-profile incidents.
The result of NSW’s approach has been an explosion in gun numbers – which now total over 1m across the state. Over 258,000 people hold firearms licences. Most list recreational hunting of feral animals as the reason for their licence. The number held by primary producers – often cited as why guns are needed – is a small fraction in comparison.
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Penny Wong thanks US secretary of state for messages of support
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has spoken to her US counterpart, secretary of state Marco Rubio.
The pair discussed the terrorist attack in Bondi and the subsequent investigation on Monday.
Wong thanked Rubio for messages of support from the US to Australia’s Jewish community, including from the president, Donald Trump.
Wong and Rubio discussed the courage of Sydneysiders caught up in the attack, including Ahmed Al Ahmed, the man who risked his life to disarm one of the shooters.
“I thanked Secretary Rubio for his condolences, for his solidarity with Australia and the Australian Jewish community and for his message of support from the American people,” Wong said.
There is no place for this antisemitism, violence and terrorism in our nation. We are determined to eradicate it.
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‘The walls of our community have been destroyed, but we have to rebuild’: ECAJ co-CEO
Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, is with David Ossip and reflects on the death of the 10-year-old girl overnight in hospital, saying it compounds the community’s grief.
“The walls of our community have been destroyed, but we have to rebuild,” Ryvchin says.
He says security agencies are made up of incredible men and women, but there have been failures to detect attacks against the Jewish community – including last night’s shooting and the firebombing of a synagogue in 2024 – before they happened.
We’ve seen it as Jewish people in generation after generation after generation, when antisemitism takes root in a society. It’s not a passing hatred and idle bigotry. It becomes a quest, a mission. It becomes an obsession which leads people to do most inhuman acts. We know this, and we sought to educate the leaders of this country, wider society, because we know where this leads. We know how it rips the country apart, and frankly, we won’t listen to it.
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Federal government ‘very slow to come to grips’ with antisemitism, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president says
David Ossip says the federal government has made “missteps” on antisemitism, and was too slow to come to grips with the issue.
He says the responsibility of government is to protect its citizens, which he says didn’t happen on Sunday night.
There’s been an immense failure and an investigation needs to come to grips with how that was allowed to take place. But there’s no two ways about it – the federal government was very slow to come to grips with this issue. We haven’t seen the leadership at a federal level that we have at a state level. Now, more than ever, it is the moment. If we’re not going to step now and deal with this for the crisis that it is, when are we?
Earlier this morning, Labor MP Josh Burns, who is Jewish, said Jewish people had faced dehumanisation and minimisation over the last two years. Ossip says he agrees with Burns:
The Jewish community has been through hell over the past two years, and notwithstanding all of that, there have still been individuals who have sought to undermine our lived experience, and that has to stop as well.
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President of NSW Jewish Board of Deputies urges ‘strong, unequivocal and overwhelming leadership’
David Ossip, the NSW Jewish board of deputies president, is speaking to the media from Bondi Beach.
He says the shooting of yesterday shows “antisemitism has well and truly found a place here in our beloved country”, and urges the government to take strong action.
What we’ve seen has been the logical progression demonising Jews with rhetoric which slowly builds up to acts of violence …
The world is looking at Sydney and our country as one of the global epicentres of antisemitism, and now, after two years, this is a moment [for] strong, unequivocal and overwhelming leadership. The time for talk is over. We need action to those who have said over the past two years that antisemitism has no place in Australia.
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Sussan Ley visits scene of Bondi beach attack
Opposition leader Sussan Ley is at Bondi beach in Sydney, visiting the scene with shadow home affairs minister Jonathon Duniam and shadow ministers Julian Leeser and Andrew Bragg.
Ley, Duniam and Leeser spoke to the media earlier, where the opposition leader accused the government and Anthony Albanese of allowing antisemitism to “fester” in the community.
They speak with Jewish community leader Alex Ryvchin.
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Bondi attack shows urgent need for national firearms register, expert says
Australia still does not have a unified mechanism for tracking firearms across jurisdictions, Swinburne law and criminology expert Maya Arguello says.
The concept has existed since the post-Port Arthur reforms in 1996, she said, but is not expected to be operational until 2028.
Arguello said:
In February, it was reported that more than four million firearms are legally owned in Australia.
Without a national register to support real-time information-sharing, police and other agencies remain dependent on separate state and territory systems, resulting in gaps in life-cycle monitoring, tracing, and national oversight of registered firearms.
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Imams council says ‘violent terrorist act’ is ‘act on all Australians’
The Australian National Imams Council says the “violent terrorist act constitutes an attack on all Australians”. It said in a statement it “unequivocally” condemns terrorism, violence, and the targeting of civilians in all its forms:
Antisemitism, expressed through hate, harassment and violence directed at the Jewish community, has no place in our society.
We unequivocally reject these acts and reaffirm our shared responsibility to uphold respect, safety, and dignity for all communities in Australia.
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The Bondi attack was “an attack on all of us”, Greens say
In a joint statement, Greens senators Larissa Waters, Mehreen Faruqi and David Shoebridge said the Sunday night attack had “become one of the darkest days in our nation’s history” and a national heartbreak:
We send love to the dozens of people who remain in care, and hope for their swift recovery. Australia is with each of you.
Our heart is with the Jewish community who are grappling with this mass shooting, grieving loved ones, and are again fearing for their safety. Antisemitism has no place in our community, and we join all Australians in rejecting this appalling act of hatred.
This terror attack on the Jewish community is an attack on all of us. This reprehensible act of antisemitic violence is not who we are. We are a nation of many peoples who open the door to those in need, and pull together in crisis.
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Fellow rabbi pays tribute to friend who was ‘the real deal’
A friend and fellow rabbi has paid tribute to 41-year-old Eli Schlanger, who was the first victim of yesterday’s attack to be named.
Speaking to 2GB a moment ago, Rabbi Dovid Slavin, a friend of the London-born rabbi, said Schlanger was “the real deal”:
I would talk to him regularly, [he was] an inspirational young man full of love, full of compassion, full of sensitivity and an incredible sense of humour, and one who always, always took the difficult but right road to achieve things. He achieved so much in his short life. It’s just so difficult to talk about him in terminology of the past, but we will see him again, and his legacy will live for a long time.
[He was] constantly out there with open arms, welcoming, embracing, and always with a smile – even during the most difficult times in discussions, you would see him in arguments, always with a smile, always with love. It would be very difficult to find somebody … who would have harsh words to say about him. He was loved, respected, admired and looked up to.
Here’s what we know so far about the victims:
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Blood donors still needed despite surge
Further to the news about the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood website crashing, the service also said:
We’ve seen an overwhelming response from the community, and we’d like to thank everyone who has visited our centres or made an appointment to donate today, and in the days ahead.
The need for more blood donors is ongoing. With the festive season approaching, we’re encouraging people to look at making an appointment over the coming weeks, as blood donations will continue to be needed between now and January 2.
We’d also encourage people to book an appointment where possible, to ensure they’re not waiting too long to donate.
We’re hoping to have the website up and running again very soon, and thank people for their patience. In the interim, people can call 13 14 95 to book an appointment. Or check back again soon to book via lifeblood.com.au or the Lifeblood App.
You can read more about how to help here:
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Blood donation website crashes amid surge in donors
The Australian Red Cross Lifeblood website is experiencing a temporary outage as it is overwhelmed by Australians attempting to donate blood in the wake of the Bondi terrorist attack.
Earlier this morning, it issued an urgent call for donors from multiple states to support the need in Sydney, with a particular request for O-negative individuals. A spokesperson said both O-negative and O-positive were “always in high demand”.
On social media, Lifeblood said in a statement that it was experiencing “high volumes” on its website which was affecting performance:
We are working to fix a temporary outage on our website and our call centre is experiencing a high volume of calls. We appreciate your patience and thank you for helping us to meet demand.
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Islamophobia envoy condemns Bondi attack
Australia’s special envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, has condemned the Bondi attack, saying there is “no justification for this sickening violence or hatred against anyone”. He said:
I stand in solidarity with all victims, families and communities affected by this reprehensible act.
The perpetrators of this senseless violence have a clear purpose: to spread fear, terror, division and mistrust within our communities.
We must not allow them to achieve their intent.
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Victorian police say they ‘conducted 180 visits’ last night to reassure Jewish community
Speaking alongside the Victorian premier was the police commissioner, Mike Bush, who told reporters 180 visits were conducted to provide reassurance to Melbourne’s Jewish community in the hours after the Bondi attack.
Police have stressed there is no threat known locally but they understand the fear and concern Jewish people will be feeling at this time. Bush said:
Everyone has the right to go about their life without threat or without fear. Last night, after this atrocity, which caused so much shock and trauma right across Australia [and] right across the globe, we stood up in operation to provide assurance to all Victorians that they were safe. We will continue that operation.
And the feedback I’ve had even this morning is we need to do more of that. Last night, we conducted 180 visits across Melbourne and Victoria, and we will continue to do that as the Jewish community continue to stand strong and celebrate Hanukah, and we will be with you.
He said “tens of thousands” of officers were deployable across Victoria for this work, while he had also offered support to NSW:
We’ve reached out to commissioner Mal Lanyon to offer every piece of support, and we’re supporting him and also the many victims of this horrendous crime. We are also there in support of our two officers also seriously injured.
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US antisemitism taskforce condemns ‘senseless act of mass violence’
A US congressional taskforce for combating antisemitism has condemned yesterday’s attack and offered its support.
In a statement, Democratic senator Jacky Rosen and Republican senator James Lankford, co-founders and chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, said they were in touch with the Australian embassy and working to provide any assistance. They said:
Our hearts go out to the Australian people as they deal with the aftermath of a horrific attack that targeted Jews on the first night of Hanukah.
This senseless act of mass violence was motivated by a hatred of Jews and is the result of rising antisemitism left unchecked. It underscores the importance of rooting out this evil bigotry from the face of the planet.
We’re committed to continuing the fight against antisemitism wherever and whenever it rears its ugly head. This is a fight that transcends politics or ideology, and we are united behind a shared goal: ensuring Jews in the United States and around the world can practice their faith openly without fear of violence.
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Jacinta Allan asks Victorians to light a candle to express support for Jewish community
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has held a press conference after lighting the Hanukah candle at St Kilda Shule this morning, in the heart of Melbourne’s Jewish community. She describes the terror attack in Bondi as “an act of evil that at its heart was being driven by antisemitism”.
Allan says:
It was targeted, and it was designed to strike at the precise moment when the Jewish community was coming together and, indeed, welcoming the wider community, as they so always do, into that celebration of Hanukah, a celebration of light and hope and looking forward with positivity to the year ahead.
It was an act of hatred. It was an act of terrorism. It was an act of antisemitism that goes deeply against everything we stand for here in Victoria.
She urged Victorians to reach out to members of the Jewish community, attend a Hanukah event in the coming days or to light a candle in their own home:
Lighting our own candles in our own home is a very beautiful and simple way that we can express love and support, but also learn and go forward from this evil act of terror.
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Ley urges Albanese to act on Jillian Segal’s recommendations
Ley is asked whether the opposition would support changes to tighten gun control laws, but won’t confirm either way.
The opposition leader says the government needs to act immediately, but on gun control says:
Families are waiting by the bedsides of their loved ones across hospitals in Sydney today and my heart breaks for all of them. With that in mind, this is not a subject I am going to discuss today.
Ley says Australia as a whole should have done more over the last two years to protect the Jewish community, and urges Albanese to act on Jillian Segal’s recommendations.
I am going to say that the government has been warned, comprehensively and unequivocally, about the rising tide of antisemitism in this country and, more importantly, what we could and should be doing has not been taken on Jillian’s recommendations and it needs to be.
I do stand ready to support the prime minister but I strongly, strongly urge him to pick this report up and to act immediately to implement its recommendations.
Asked which of the recommendations in the report could have prevented the attack, Ley says antisemitism was “deeply embedded” in the shooting.
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Shadow home affairs minister says attack ‘should never have happened’
Shadow minister Julian Leeser and shadow home affairs minister, Jonathon Duniam, are with Ley at the press conference in Sydney.
Leeser, who is a Jewish MP, tells the public to imagine Hanukah by the Sea is like “carols by candlelight”. “[There are] children on rides and people eating sugary food, dancing, music and prayers,” he says.
Duniam says this attack “should never have happened” and that it could have been avoided.
We didn’t have to come to this. Over the last two years there have been countless warning signs to our country, to our leaders, about things that need to be addressed. Reports have been compiled, recommendations provided by the special envoy to antisemitism, and those things haven’t been acted upon.
As an opposition, we will work with the government to provide whatever support is necessary to put in place measures that prevent this sort of thing from ever happening again … It is unacceptable that it has come to this and leadership needs to be shown now. We can’t wait another day.
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‘Clear lack of leadership’ over antisemitism, Sussan Ley says
The opposition leader says there has been a “failure” to protect Jewish Australians.
She says there is “palpable anger” in the community and a sense of “bewilderment”.
Antisemitism in Australia has been left to fester … We have seen a clear failure to keep Jewish Australians safe. We have seen a clear lack of leadership in keeping Jewish Australians safe. We have a government that sees antisemitism as a problem to be managed, not evil that needs to be eradicated ...
We’ve seen synagogues fire-bombed, orchestrated by foreign terrorist states. Every single day for the last two years the lives of Jewish Australians have been made harder by this rising tide of antisemitism.
Ley says she’s spoken to antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal this morning, who has been urging the government to respond to her report.
The prime minister has told Jewish Australians that he will do whatever it takes to deal with antisemitism. He must start today by committing to implementing all of the recommendations in his antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal’s report.
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‘Darkest day since the Port Arthur massacre’ Sussan Ley says
Sussan Ley is speaking to the media in Sydney, and says it is a day that will be “burnt in the nation’s soul”.
The opposition leader says she spoke to Anthony Albanese last night, offering the Coalition’s support in the aftermath of the shooting.
It was the darkest day since the Port Arthur massacre in April 1996. Australians will remember where they were on the day of the Bondi massacre and they will remember the feelings of overwhelming disbelief and shock that they felt. Those who saw the murderous massacre first hand and lost loved ones will be changed forever.
I sought an assurance from the prime minister that I would receive the necessary security briefings from our agencies and police, and I was told that would happen today.
She pays tribute to the first responders and bystanders who stepped into danger and saved lives.
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Bondi attack affects political timetable
The Bondi terrorist attack has cast uncertainty over what was expected to be a busy week of announcements in federal politics ahead of the Christmas break.
Guardian Australia has confirmed the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook (Myefo) will go ahead as planned on Wednesday.
But the timing of everything else is up in the air, including the release of a six-month review of the east coast gas market and any potential changes to MPs travel perks in response to the expenses scandal.
The Coalition was this week expected to release the “principles” that will underpin its immigration policy, although that could be delayed after the deadliest mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.
The Liberal party also intended to release the findings of an internal review of its horror May federal election defeat prior to Christmas.
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More photos from Bondi beach this morning
Members of the public have been laying down flowers at the Bondi pavilion.
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Monique Ryan: ‘All Australians have to stand together against antisemitism and hatred’
Independent MP Monique Ryan says she stands firmly with Australia’s Jewish community and rejects antisemitism, violence and all forms of hatred.
Speaking after Sunday’s Bondi shooting, the Kooyong MP thanked police and ambulance crews, as well as nurses and doctors treating the injured.
My deepest condolences are with the families who have lost loved ones, those who have been injured, and all affected by this act of terrorism.
All Australians have to stand together against antisemitism and hatred – always.
Over the coming days, weeks and months, I will work with leaders and members of the Jewish community, police forces as well as local, state, and federal governments, to ensure the safety of all members of our community.
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‘We need to understand what happened, how it happened and how we can never let it happen again,’ Allegra Spender says
Wentworth MP Allegra Spender, whose electorate of Wentworth includes Bondi beach, says her entire community is devastated and in mourning.
She said Sunday was “one of the darkest days in Australian history”.
I spoke to people last night who said they’re taking off their mezuzahs, symbols of the Jewish community, on their front doors. They’re taking them off because they feel afraid.
This is how the community feels, and I think it is up to the entire country – absolutely security and police and government – but up all of us to seek over time to restore the faith of the Jewish community about their safety here.
Spender urged Australians to reach out to their Jewish friends and associates to express support and kindness, noting an attack on Jews was an attack on all Australians and the country’s way of life.
She said the government needed to act as well, and that Anthony Albanese should “urgently respond” to antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal’s report.
We need to understand what happened, how it happened, and how we can never let it happen again.
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Cabinet to meet to discuss Bondi attack
The federal cabinet will meet this morning and discuss the Bondi Beach terror attack.
The prime minister will also attend a meeting of the national security committee (NSC), ahead of a national cabinet meeting where Anthony Albanese and state and territory premiers will meet.
We’ll bring any more information we get from those meetings to you.
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Floral tribute grows outside Bondi Pavilion
Mourners have laid a growing spread of flowers in front of Bondi Pavilion, which remains cordoned off under police watch.
Among the first to lay flowers was the prime minister, who briefly visited the beach earlier this morning. Asked how he felt upon seeing the scene, Anthony Albanese said one word: “horrific”. He stood in silence by the pavilion for a minute, and shook hands with police officers.
Passersby have pitched in to clear the mess of items left behind by beachgoers, gathering loose towels, bags and surfboards and leaving them at the edge of the sand near the pavilion, where the Australian and Aboriginal flags were flying at half-mast. One woman carrying a basket of items wiped away tears as she walked up the beach.
At the same time, growing numbers of swimmers and surfers were stopping by the beach.
Businesses along the closed beachside road were reopening.
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Time for national unity, Albanese says when asked about Netanyahu criticism
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Anthony Albanese and the Australian government of putting “fuel on the antisemitism fire” after last night’s terror attack.
Albanese was asked about Netanyahu’s comments during the press conference this morning, and said now was a moment for “national unity”.
This is a moment for Australians to come together. That’s precisely what we’ll be doing.
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Continuing from last post
Friedman said his own nieces and nephews were at the festival and ran across the street and sheltered in a stranger’s apartment for six hours.
My wife was speaking to her sister, her sister was actually here with her three kids. They had to leave, they had to run for their lives and escape across the road.
On the way to the beach this morning, he stopped to find his daughter’s shoes at nearby Dover Heights, which she had left behind as she fled last night.
Some of the injured and dead were Friedman’s good friends and he was “still waiting” to learn who else may have been injured that he knew.
I haven’t really checked my phone this morning … I want to be here this morning and put on my tallit and tefillin and offer some prayers. Just to be here, but not quite knowing what to do with all these emotions and feelings ... People are coming over. Jewish people, regular Australians, coming over and just giving each other hugs and crying on each other’s shoulders.
We’re just grieving and feeling those emotions. But like we’ve always done, we will gather together and we will come back stronger.
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Rabbi pays tribute to his friend who was killed: ‘He has five children. His youngest is only a few months old.’
Yossi Friedman, a local rabbi, visited Bondi beach to pray and mourn with other members of the Jewish community.
Wearing kippa and tefillin, Friedman stood by the police cordon near the Bondi beach park where gunmen opened fire on a Jewish community event.
Friedman paid tribute to his friend, Eli Schlanger. Schlanger, a London-born rabbi, was the first victim of Sunday’s shooting to be named.
Friedman said:
He was just full of light, he was just so positive and so obsessed with life and just bringing joy to everyone … We don’t know what to do with ourselves today. He has five children. His youngest is only a few months old.
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‘It’s hard to believe this level of gun violence could ever happen,’ David Shoebridge says
David Shoebridge, the Greens senator, has laid flowers at Bondi beach this morning.
Holding back tears, the Sydney local and New South Wales MP said:
This is a horrific attack on the Jewish community and upon our friends and neighbours. It’s hard to believe this level of gun violence could ever happen and to see it directed at a Hanukah event at a time when people are coming together to share joy, and in such a beautiful part of the world, is utterly shattering.
I hope that we can come together as a country, acknowledge those moments of extreme bravery from our emergency services and from ordinary bystanders who did everything they could to save their friends and neighbours and avoid division and hate. That’s the hope for all of us.
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Kellie Sloane: ‘I saw a little boy and his dad cowering under the bridge and I got them into the car.’
The new leader of the NSW opposition, Kellie Sloane, is also the state member for Vaucluse, the seat that covers Bondi beach.
Sloane was at a nearby Hanukah event and then ended up down at Bondi beach last night. She just did a press conference recalling her movements.
I was not far from here at a Hanukah event just down the road. I was on stage about to give a speech, when the crowd dispersed and people started running. They’d heard gunfire.
Then I was told by security I needed to leave. I got bundled into the closest vehicle, which was a local ambulance, a CHS ambulance, which is run by the Jewish community. And when I jumped in that car, the driver had heard that his colleague had been shot, and he just said: put your seatbelt on.
And we just flew down here. We arrived within minutes of the aftermath of the shooting and, not knowing what had happened, we parked underneath that bridge, and I hopped out of the car and saw a little boy, a little boy and his dad, cowering under the bridge. And I got them into the car.
Sloane thanks the man who tackled one of the gunmen and took the gun from him, calling him a “national hero”.
I want to thank the local heroes who turned up and did their very best in dangerous circumstances. I want to thank the heroes from our surf life saving clubs who put their own lives on the line to help save lives.
Sloane also references a previous tragedy – the shooting at Westfield Bondi Junction – saying the Bondi community will “stand together”.
We will not let yesterday’s cowardly, evil attacks tear us apart … what happened here yesterday is a chilling reminder of what happens when we allow hate to spread. When we see hate, we need to call it out, and we cannot let this happen in our communities, the community in the east has seen so much tragedy in the last couple of years.
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Terror in Bondi – podcast
My colleague Ben Doherty heard the shots from his home and went to Bondi beach last night in the aftermath of the shooting.
He tells Reged Ahmad and the Full Story crew what happened, and they break down what we’ve learned about the attack since.
Have a listen here:
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Local returns to the beach: ‘It’s all very eerie and I’ve never seen Bondi like this’
Josh, a Bondi local, returned to the beach this morning less than 12 hours after he fled the shooting on Sunday.
He lives just minutes from the shore and was walking his dog by the beach last night when the shooting began.
I heard the gunshots and just thought it was fireworks. I’d just seen a crowd of people running and hiding behind cars and jumping over fences, and yeah, just panic in people’s eyes. People running for their lives.
Josh picked up his dog and ran back to his apartment, passing others seeking shelter as he went. One young woman hid in his apartment. After just a few hours of sleep, he felt he had to go on his normal morning walk.
[I felt] a bit apprehensive about coming out again. I just wanted to see. If things like these happen, you can’t sort of stay indoors with your head in under the cover. You have to sort of come out eventually, I suppose. It’s very sad. It’s all very eerie and I’ve never seen Bondi like this. From six o’clock in the morning, usually, people are swimming, running, surfing.
After his walk Josh will go to work, like dozens of others visiting the beach before they have to go on with their day.
I’ve got work. So, I mean, yeah. I don’t know. I’ll see how it goes. Probably won’t do very much, but we’ll see.
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In pictures: Anthony Albanese meets police officers and lays flowers at Bondi Pavilion
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Alleged gunmen named
The alleged Bondi gunmen have been identified as father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram.
Naveed, 24, was arrested at the scene, but Sajid, 50, who was first identified by the Sydney Morning Herald, was shot dead by police.
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Tony Abbott says Australia must not ‘import hatred from overseas’
Former prime minister Tony Abbott spoke to 2GB earlier about the attack. Abbott is among those who have blamed increased social discohesion following 7 October, including pro-Palestinian marches, for the attack. He says:
It’s a bleak day but we’ve got to learn the right lessons from it. And this is the kind of terrible, terrible thing that happens when we have hate on our streets. And we’ve had hate on our streets from that appalling occasion on 9 October, we’ve seen terrible marches promoting death to the IDF, the extirpation of Israel, across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and elsewhere.
I just think we need to learn the right lessons. And obviously there has to be a much greater stress on Australian values, and I think we just have to be much more determined not to import hatred from overseas, because whatever else might be behind this attack, plainly it was the supreme expression of Jew hatred … It must be fiercely cracked down upon by every level of government.
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Antisemitism envoy says calling out hate is ‘not enough’
Anthony Albanese’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, says she is seeking an urgent acceleration of her recommendations to the government, released in July.
Segal said the prime minister and the NSW premier, Chris Minns, were right to call out creeping antisemitism in Australia, but better guardrails were needed to stop hate across society.
“I think the government has called out the hate and the prime minister has been out there last night and today calling it out,” she told Guardian Australia.
But calling it out is not enough. We need a whole series of actions that involve the public sector, and government ministers, in education in schools, universities, on social media and among community leaders, community activities. It has got to be a whole society approach.
I think that the government needs to accelerate what it needs to do and I am hoping to meet with the prime minister and members of the government to convey to them an acceleration of the plan.
Segal has likened the scale of the attack to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, and said police and government needed to say more about firearms laws.
The prime minister spoke of Jewish members of the community being embraced. I think that’s wonderful, but we need more than embracing them. We need a whole series of actions to convey to the rest of the community how hateful action is completely unacceptable.
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NSW health minister says Bondi attack death toll may rise
Following the update from NSW Health on the injured patients being treated across nine Sydney hospitals, the NSW minister, Ryan Park, has spoken to 2GB.
Emergency services have said 42 people were taken to hospital after the attack – two people, including one child, died overnight and two people have been discharged.
There are now 38 people being treated in hospital, with seven people in a critical condition, while another four are in a critical but stable condition.
Park says people may need to be prepared for the death toll to rise. 16 people have been confirmed dead, including one of the alleged gunmen.
We’ve got a number of people who are in very, very serious and critical ways, in terms of where they are at the moment, and that’s something that we are preparing for, but we are giving them the very best opportunity to recover.
I’m confident in the skill and dedication of our frontline clinicians and our paramedics who perform miracles at the pre-hospital situation, and now those in the hospital working miracles for them.
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Australians need to ‘step forward and say they are with the Jewish community’, rabbi says
Rabbi Mendel Kastel lost his brother-in-law in the Bondi shooting last night, telling ABC News Breakfast the attack was “devastating”.
Kastel says he was there at the Chanukah by the Sea festival with his wife and children when the attack occurred.
He says he has been trying to support families who have lost loved ones and those still trying to connect with their loved ones who were taken to hospital.
People are in shock at the moment, there are things that need to be done, there are families that need to connect with loved ones who are in hospital and we need to find which hospital they’re in, be able to advocate for them, be able to get the messages through. For those that have passed away, we need to start looking at working with coroners to be able to then have funerals as soon as possible.
Kastel says Australians need to step forward to support the Jewish community.
What I found more recently is people sort of shying away and I think it’s time that people actually step up and say, you know what - we need to step forward and say we are with the Jewish community … It’s country-wide, every individual needs to step up and say ‘we want our country back, we want to have peace, the tranquillity, the beautiful Australia that we have grown up in’.
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New Zealand media reports its government has increased security measures for the Jewish community in the aftermath of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack.
New Zealand prime minister, Christopher Luxon, says he has contacted Anthony Albanese and released a statement to X, condemning the attack:
Hanukah is a time of peace and joy, not pain and grief. This vile act of hatred is something all New Zealanders condemn.
Luxon said New Zealand police are meeting with Jewish community leaders to give them reassurances around the extra security.
The NZ ministry of foreign affairs and trade has said it is not aware of any New Zealanders involved in the attack.
Surf lifesavers ‘acted immediately’ to offer first aid to injured shooting victims
Surf Life Saving NSW says its community and volunteers are in shock and deeply saddened after the shooting attack.
In a statement, SLS NSW said volunteer lifesavers provided first aid, and helped move people to safety while the attack was under way.
They said no lifesavers were physically injured during the attack, and offered their condolences to the families and communities who have lost loved ones.
Not surprisingly, many volunteer lifesavers acted immediately to respond, providing first aid including CPR, to injured victims, shepherding people to safety inside both the Bondi and North Bondi Surf Life Saving Clubs while the attack was still under way and giving assistance to emergency services.
Our surf clubs have, and should always be, places of safe haven and yesterday’s tragedy will no doubt galvanise our members to come together, support each other and their community in solidarity against terror and fear.
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Albanese visits scene of Bondi beach attack
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is visiting the scene of last night’s mass shooting at Bondi beach.
Albanese lay a bouquet of flowers outside Bondi Pavilion, pausing briefly in memory of the victims of the atrocity.
Earlier, Albanese met with police at Bondi police station after holding an early morning press conference with the NSW premier, Chris Minns, and the NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon.
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Burns says minimisation of targeting Jewish people must be tackled ‘head-on’
Burns says there has been a “dehumanisation” of the Jewish community over the past two years.
He tells ABC News Breakfast there needs to be not only legislative responses but also cultural changes to stop antisemitism.
Burns says he has seen the minimisation or legitimisation of attacks on Jewish institutions and the Jewish community.
Too often, you have instances where people are allowed to dehumanise one another in the context of political debate and in the context of difficult discussions ...
When we talk about what the legislative responses might be … I think what’s really important is that it’s not only legislative responses that obviously will inevitably have to come, but also cultural ones where we are stamping out in our institutions the minimisation of targeting of Jewish people, the minimising of or legitimising targeting Jewish institutions, and legitimising of targeting Jewish people and this is something that, especially on the progressive side of politics, we need to confront head-on.
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‘This will tear apart the Jewish community,’ Labor MP says
Federal Labor MP Josh Burns says last night’s attack is “one of the most awful things I can remember”.
Burns, who is Jewish, tells ABC News Breakfast that the Jewish community has been “really worried about this for a long time”.
For terror to have occurred in the way in which it has and for people who have lost their lives, including a 12-year-old girl, a Rabbi, and this will tear apart the Jewish community in Sydney and across the country and clearly across the world as well ...
You can’t go to a Jewish school or to a Jewish community organisation in Australia without there being some form of security and even to some extent there’s armed guards outside of schools. So it’s a daily reality for Jewish communities in Australia that we were always nervous and about this could happen.
Burns says the Australian community must honour and respect those who have been killed, and “work out how do we prevent this ever happening again”.
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More tributes for French national killed
More tributes have poured in for victim Dan Elkayam, who the French government confirmed had died in yesterday’s shooting.
In a post on Instagram, Arncliffe Aurora Football Club, in southern Sydney, said Elkayam was a member of their premier league squad for the upcoming 2026 season. It went on:
Dan was a valued and deeply respected member of our football community. Our hearts are with his family, friends, teammates, and all those who loved him during this unimaginably difficult time.
We extend our deepest condolences and stand in solidarity with everyone affected by this tragedy. Out of respect for Dan and his loved ones, we ask that privacy and compassion be shown as they grieve.
Dan will always remain part of our club.
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Plibersek confirms cabinet to meet this morning
Tanya Plibersek says she was at a Hanukah in the Park event in Newtown last night when the attack occurred, and attendees were all told to disperse.
The attack occurred at a Chanukah by the Sea event at Bondi beach last night.
Speaking to Sunrise this morning, the cabinet minister and member for Sydney said she and her children had been to that same event many times in past years.
This is an act of evil done by evil people. I’ve been to Hanukah by the Sea many times. I’ve taken my kids there. Last night I was at Hanukah in the Park in Newtown when the message came through that there’d been a security incident at Bondi. No more detail than that, but we had to disperse.
Plibersek also confirmed the federal cabinet will meet this morning. Asked whether the terror level needs to be changed, she says she has no doubt the cabinet will discuss it.
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Bondi shooting press conference recap
Police confirmed the alleged gunmen, one 50-year-old and one 24-year-old, were father and son – the older man was shot dead by police on Sunday while the younger man remains in hospital with injuries. Police are not looking for any other suspects.
The two men were staying at an address in Campsie in south-west Sydney.
There were two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) found at the scene that were active but not detonated, and were taken and rendered safe by police.
Two police officers are in a critical but stable position in hospital.
NSW premier Chris Minns said his government is already looking at law reform around gun control.
Police will increase their presence today around Jewish places of worship and other areas where the Jewish community frequent.
Police say they are still investigating any motives or ideologies of the two men, and would not discuss any further details.
Anthony Albanese called the attack a “pure act of evil” and said the government will “dedicate every single resource that is required” to respond.
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Here’s what we know after the terror attack so far:
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Update on shooting victims taken to Sydney hospitals
NSW health has provided an update on the status of patients transferred to Sydney hospitals after last night’s attack.
Police confirmed earlier that 14 died at the scene, and another two people died in hospital overnight – bringing the death toll to 16.
One of those who died overnight was a child, who passed away at the Sydney Children’s hospital. The other person who died overnight passed away at the Royal Prince Alfred hospital.
12 patients are in a stable condition at Prince of Wales hospital
One patient is in a critical condition and two are in a stable condition at St George hospital
One patient is in a stable condition at Sutherland hospital
One patient is in a critical condition at Sydney Eye hospital
Three patients are in a critical condition, five patients are in a stable condition, and two patients were treated and discharged at St Vincent’s hospital
Three patients are in a critical but stable condition, one patient is in a critical condition, one patient is in a stable condition, and one is yet to be assessed at Royal Prince Alfred hospital
One patient is in a critical condition and two patients are in a stable condition at Sydney Children’s hospital, Randwick
One patient is in a critical but stable condition and one is in a stable condition at Royal North Shore hospital
Two patients are in a stable condition at Liverpool hospital
Updated
Alex Ryvchin says Bondi beach attack has ‘fundamentally changed’ Australia
Things will always be different now for the Jewish community, says co-chief executive officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Alex Ryvchin.
He tells ABC News Breakfast he and his 12-year-old daughter have been at the Chanukah festival every year, but did not go to the event last night.
He says the shooting has “fundamentally changed this country”.
This stops life, this destroys worlds. Things will always be different for us. Things can’t go back to normal. It’s fundamentally changed this country.
Ryvchin says one of his dearest friends was one of the victims of last night’s shooting, and was a person “who personified goodness and godliness and holiness, a person who lived literally for no reason other than to do good deeds”.
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‘We will do whatever is necessary’ to stamp out antisemitism, Albanese says
Anthony Albanese says the government will continue to stand with Jewish Australians and stamp out antisemitism.
He’s asked whether the government has failed to help the Jewish community who have faced antisemitic attacks. Albanese says he’s spoken to members of the Jewish community.
We need wrap our arms around Australians. We stand with them, we stand against antisemitism, we will do whatever is necessary to stamp it out. Antisemitism is a scourge. It’s been around for a long period of time. We need to do whatever we can to stamp it out.
The press conference ends there.
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Police confirm two active improvised explosive devices retrieved by bomb disposal unit
NSW police commissioner Mal Lanyon confirms there were two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) which were active and found at the scene.
There were two IEDs found at the scene, they were taken by our rescue and bomb disposal unit. They were found to be active devices. So, they were taken back and rendered safe by our police who do a professional job.
Lanyon says he’s “very glad” those devices were not activated.
Asked how they could have been triggered, Lanyon says police are investigating thoroughly and “will get to the bottom of this”.
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Law reform ‘almost certain’ after Bondi attack, Chris Minns says
NSW premier Chris Minns there will “almost certainly” be law reform on gun licenses following this terrorist attack.
He’s asked whether there was a failure over the father being able to get a gun license, and both men not being detected by authorities ahead of the attack.
Minns says he “can’t say at this point” whether there was a failure, and that the police will conduct their investigation.
We’re looking at [this] right now …
There be a comprehensive inquiry. This is a massive terrorist event in Australia’s largest city, targeted on Jewish Australians. We need to get to the bottom of exactly how it happened so we can take steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
I think in these circumstances it’s important that no stone is left unturned and New South Wales police are given time to conduct that investigation, but we have to do everything we possibly can to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. Part of that may be law reform, almost certainly it will be. Part of it will be a comprehensive police response, but it also goes down to the level of confronting racism and antisemitism in our community.
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Nothing to indicate alleged shooters had planned attack, police say
Police won’t yet confirm any motivations behind the attack, and say that they’re looking at that as part of the investigation.
Police commissioner Mal Lanyon also says there was nothing “to indicate that either of the men involved in yesterday’s attack was planning the attack”.
He confirms that the 50-year-old alleged shooter is deceased, and had held a gun license for ten years.
Lanyon also says that there was “very limited knowledge” of the younger man, who authorities have said was known to Asio, Australia’s spy agency.
We have investigators working around the clock. I’m incredibly proud of the work undertaken so far. We want to understand the motives behind it. We certainly want to understand the actions that have happened. I cannot give a running commentary on the investigation ...
They were staying at an address in Campsie. Their residence is in Bonnyrigg.
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Ambulance chief says team used lessons from Bondi Westfield attack
NSW Ambulance commissioner, Dominic Morgan, says more than 123 personnel from NSW Ambulance were part of last night’s response. The first ambulance crews were on the scene in less than ten minutes, he says.
He says there were some “amazing lessons” learned from the Bondi Westfield shopping centre attack, which helped emergency services respond effectively last night.
There was some amazing lessons learned from the Bondi Westfield shopping centre. Last night, I’m told the command structures were seamless. The joint agency approach, the ability for paramedics with the support of police to work in these hot zones, I’m convinced contributed to the saving of lives that otherwise would have been lost.
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Police will be ‘highly visible’ at Jewish places of worship
Lanyon says police have commenced “Operation Shelter” this morning, and there will be 328 officers on the ground at Bondi this morning.
The police commissioner says police will be “highly visible” at places of worship and other places that are known to be frequented by the Jewish community.
Lanyon also urges the public to remain calm.
Operation Shelter is designed to provide comfort to the Jewish community. We’ll make sure we’re highly visible at places of worship, places that are known to be frequented by the Jewish community, but very much in those suburbs we know we have a large Jewish population. I want to make it very clear the New South Wales police will not tolerate the types of violence or the types of antisemitic behaviour we have seen ...
I was very clear last night to call for calm. This is not a time for anyone to be seeking retribution. This is a time for the community to grieve and to heal.
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Police confirm alleged Bondi shooters were father and son
NSW police commissioner Mal Lanyon confirms the two alleged offenders – a 50-year-old man and 24-year-old man – were father and son.
The father was shot dead by police, while the son is in critical but stable condition in hospital.
Lanyon says police are not looking for a further offender.
As part of the investigation, we conducted two search warrants last night, one at Bonnyrigg and a second at Campsie. The 50-year-old male is a licensed firearms holder. He has six firearms licensed to him.
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Anthony Albanese says Bondi attack was ‘act of pure evil’
Minns thanks the emergency service workers and innocent bystanders and civilians who stood up to “save other peoples’ lives”.
This is a terrible wanton act of destructive violence but we still have amazing people in Australia and they showed their true colours last night.
Anthony Albanese stands up next and describes the terror attack as an “act of pure evil”, and promises to dedicate “every single resource” to respond.
What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores. In iconic Australian location. That’s associated with joy, associated with families gathering, associated with celebrations.
We will do whatever is necessary to stamp out antisemitism. It is a scourge and we’ll eradicate it together. The Australian Federal Police and Asio are working closely with New South Wales authorities and the briefing we’ve just had, we’ve had the AFP there and the AFP commissioner will return to Australia today. We’ll dedicate every single resource that is required in responding to this.
Albanese says world leaders including Donald Trump, French president Emmanuel Macron and UK prime minister Keir Starmer have reached out to him to express their sympathies.
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Minns says 42 people in Sydney hospitals overnight after shooting
Chris Minns is speaking to the media this morning, alongside prime minister Anthony Albanese, and NSW police commissioner Mal Lanyon.
The NSW premier says 16 have been killed, including one of the alleged gunmen, with 42 people in hospitals across Sydney overnight.
He says there must be a “strong and clear repudiation of antisemitism”.
Obviously the Jewish community in New South Wales are absolutely devastated this morning, it’s our responsibility to wrap our arms around that wounded community, and let them know that ordinary Australians, regular Australians, are in their corner … We need to send a strong and clear repudiation of antisemitism in all of its forms. All of its forms. There’s no tolerance for racism or Jewish hatred in NSW or Australia.
Minns says Australians wanting to help should give blood if they can.
If you’re looking for something practical to do, you could give blood. We saw extraordinary scenes from New South Wales public hospitals last night, emergency departments at the drop of a hat were in the process of saving scores of lives. They did an incredible job but they need your help. They need blood and if you’re thinking about doing an act of public service in the coming 24 hours, I urge you to contact the Red Cross and do that piece of public-mindedness.
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Wiping away tears the morning after a night of devastation
The park where Sunday’s Hanukah gathering was held is cordoned off by police tape on Monday morning. Access is closed from the surf lifesaving club at the north end of the beach. Officers stand by the tape.
Dozens of cars have been left in place. Runners and beachgoers have been arriving since sunrise, walking hundreds of metres along the shore, only able to leave the beach by the northernmost exit or those south of the cordoned off Pavilion.
Some head straight to the surf. Others stop moving as they near the shore and look at the signs of last night’s devastation: police tape and cars, personal items strewn everywhere.
One couple, out for a morning walk and holding coffees, wipe tears from their eyes as they turn away.
On the beach, towels, bottles and bags left by fleeing visitors are starting to be covered in sand after being left by the shore for 12 hours.
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Holocaust survivor among victims
Alexander Kleytman was also among those killed, his wife Larisa Kleytman told reporters outside St Vincent’s hospital overnight.
The couple were both Holocaust survivors, and had recounted their experiences to JewishCare in 2023:
As children, both Larisa and Alexander faced the unspeakable terror of the Holocaust. Alex’s memories are particularly harrowing; the dreadful conditions in Siberia where he, along with his mother and younger brother, struggled for survival. The scars of the past, however, did not deter them from seeking a brighter future. They later made the move to Australia, immigrating from Ukraine.
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Bondi after the shooting
We have some more pictures from Bondi Beach this morning, where police have established a crime scene.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, NSW premier Chris Minns and NSW police will soon speak in a press conference.
Updated
Bondi after the shooting: ‘devastated’
A man wearing white clothes and a blue kippa lights a lone candle behind the lifeguard post, next to the police cordon.
As he walks away, he is heard saying one word: “devastated”.
Police have cordoned off the area in front of the Bondi Pavilion. Six officers stand at the edge of the line, overlooking the shore.
Adjoining the pavilion is a fenced-off area where sunset film screenings would be held. Yesterday was scheduled to show The Holiday. Bags, shoes and food lay strewn alongside deck chairs and beanbags.
Police tape also marks the southern footbridge. People continue to walk through, some pausing as they look out over the beach.
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Bonnyrigg mosque says Bondi shooting ‘an affront to human dignity’
As police search homes of suspects in Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s south-west, the Bonnyrigg Turkish Islamic and Cultural Association has released a statement on behalf of the local mosque.
The statement unequivocally condemns “the violent and senseless attack at Bondi Beach”:
Such acts against innocent people are an affront to human dignity and violate the core values that underpin Australian society. We extend our sincere condolences to the victims, their families, and the wider community. Violence driven by hatred - be it racial, religious or ideological - has no place in Australia and must be rejected fully.
The Bonnyrigg mosque said it stood with affected communities and “all Australians shaken by this incident”:
No community should live in fear, nor should any faith be blamed for an individual’s actions. We reaffirm our readiness to work alongside community leaders, authorities and faith groups to promote understanding, reject extremism and strengthen our nation’s unity. Australia’s true strength lies in our unity. We will not let violence or misinformation divide us.
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Bondi shooting ‘resonates very closely’ with Australian Muslims
Bilal Rauf, from the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) has told ABC News Breakfast the terror attack “resonates very closely” with the Australian Muslim community after the Christchurch massacre.
He says there has been widespread shock and anguish from all the community representatives he’s engaged with, and that everyone must stand in solidarity with the Jewish community.
As we know, the people that perpetrate these horrific crimes, they have one objective and that is to divide, that is to tear us apart, and create suspicion and division and that’s precisely what we must guard against. We stand as Australians, we stand with each other and when one community suffers, as the Jewish community is, we all suffer. It’s an attack against all of us.
Asked about whether he is concerned about the impact the shooting will have on the fabric of Australian society, Rauf says it “comes back to us … how we engage, how we respond, the language we use, the narratives we use and what support we give, and projecting an image where we are standing side by side”.
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French national confirmed to be among those killed in Bondi shooting
French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, has confirmed French man Dan Elkayam is among those killed in the shooting.
In a translated post from X, Barrot said France mourned with his family and loved ones, with the Jewish community and the Australian people:
This low act is a new, tragic manifestation of a revolting outpouring of antisemitic hatred that we must put a stop to.
France will spare no effort to eradicate antisemitism wherever it is emerges, and to combat antisemitism in all its forms.
The lights of Hanukah must not be extinguished and they will not be.
The president, Emmanuel Macron, said his thoughts were with Elkayam’s family and their loved ones and expressed to them “the fullest solidarity of the nation”.
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Bondi shooting ‘all too predictable’, Josh Frydenberg says
Former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg has posted a scathing message about the Bondi shooting on social media, claiming Australian leaders had given “little more than hollow words” in response to antisemitism.
Frydenberg, who is Jewish, called the Hanukah shooting “a tragedy of unimaginable proportions” and claimed “Australia will never be the same” - demanding that “everything must now change”. Frydenberg wrote on X:
Every Australian has been attacked by this evil and hateful act of violence. It was all too predictable and so many of us said so. The director general of our national security and intelligence agency Asio even rang the alarm bell himself, warning that the dangerous rise in antisemitism was his ‘number one priority’ in terms of threats to life. Why didn’t our leaders listen and why didn’t they act? …
In response we got little more than hollow words from our leaders as they stood by and watched the flames of hate burn. The prime minister’s public pledge after 7 October that he would not let antisemitism ‘find so much as a foothold here’ in Australia, is now fully exposed for the failure it has been. The fact is Australia is no longer safe for Jews.
Everything must now change from here. Everything must be on the table. The law must be enforced. Those who spew hate must no longer be tolerated. We cannot as a country continue as we have done. Our leaders must now finally stand up, accept responsibility for what has happened on their watch and close this shameful chapter in our nation’s history.
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More horrified reactions to the Bondi shooting are coming from world leaders
Israeli president Isaac Herzog said in a video message posted online that: “vile terrorists deliberately targeted innocent Jewish families celebrating the first night of Hanukah. They [Jewish families] wanted to light a big light.”
The people of Israel stand together with all of you in this very dark and difficult moment... the Jewish people are strong, resilient and united, and our message is clear: the Hanukah lights must go on and will b e lit all over the world, especially in Bondi beach, in Sydney and all over Australia.
United Nations secretary general António Guterres wrote on X: “I am horrified and condemn today’s heinous deadly attack on Jewish families gathered in Sydney to celebrate Hanukah.”
My heart is with the Jewish community worldwide on this first day of Hanukah, a festival celebrating the miracle of peace and light vanquishing darkness.
American secretary of state Marco Rubio said the United States “strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Australia targeting a Jewish celebration.”
Antisemitism has no place in this world. Our prayers are with the victims of this horrific attack, the Jewish community, and the people of Australia.
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Police release further information about Bondi shooting
New South Wales police have confirmed 16 people have died, including one of the alleged gunmen who was shot by police, as they continue to investigate the shooting.
Police have just released an update, and say the other alleged shooter, a 24-year-old man, is in hospital under police guard with critical injuries.
They say 14 people died at the scene, and 42 people, including four children, were taken to hospitals across Sydney. Overnight, two others – a 10-year-old girl and a 40-year-old man – died in hospital.
Two police officers suffered gunshot wounds. They are in serious but stable condition.
Five people are in critical condition while others are in serious and stable condition.
Police say they have seized three firearms from the area, and established a significant crime scene across Bondi Beach, while detectives from the joint counter terrorism team have commenced an investigation.
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Park says ‘catastrophic’ injuries range ‘from serious to critical’
Ryan Park says the gunshot injuries suffered were “extensive” and “catastrophic”.
The NSW health minister confirmed earlier that 16 people have died, including a child who had been taken to Sydney Children’s Hospital.
He tells Sunrise 38 people have been taken to hospital, with their conditions “ranging from serious to critical”.
Gunshot injuries, they are extensive and explosive by nature. They do incredible damage. Head injuries, upper torso injuries, this has [been a] shocking incident … their injuries are catastrophic.
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Royals extend condolences over shooting
King Charles III has said he’s “appalled and saddened” by the Bondi Beach terror attack. In a statement issued on social media, he said he and wife Camilla’s hearts “go out to everyone who has been affected so dreadfully”. It went on:
In times of hurt, Australians always rally together in unity and resolve. I know that the spirit of community and love that shines so brightly in Australia - and the light at the heart of the Chanukah Festival - will always triumph over the darkness of such evil.
William, Princes of Wales and wife Catherine said their thoughts were with “every Australian”:
We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives and stand with the Jewish community in grief. We are also thinking about the bravery of the emergency responders, particularly the two injured officers.
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The view from Bondi
The main street alongside Bondi Beach remains closed to traffic as the sun rises on Monday morning.
Items are strewn along footpaths and parks: shopping bags, bike helmets, sandals, boxes of food of takeaway food.
Bins, fences and restaurant umbrellas have been knocked over.
People are still walking their dogs or running in activewear but dozens slow or stop as they near the beach and look out at the coast in stunned silence. A handful swim or walk along the shore.
The carpark is partially empty. Buses and Ubers have been diverted from the beachside Campbell Parade, leaving no sound but the surf and the seagulls.
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Sharma says Australia must ‘redouble our resolve’ to stop hate crimes in wake of terror attack
Liberal senator, and former member for Wentworth, Dave Sharma, says he knows a number of the victims, and some of the people who were at last night’s Hanukah event.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast earlier, Sharma says the terror attack is an attack on the values that underpin Australia “values like pluralism and multi faith identity”.
Sharma says Australia must “redouble our resolve” to stop hate crimes against the Jewish community and other minority groups.
I think the Jewish community has been feeling increasingly unsafe for the last up to two and a bit years … it’s incumbent upon me, but incumbent on anyone in a position of political authority or influence to do all we can to reassure them that we will firstly hold to account the perpetrators of this crime and anyone who is involved in supporting or facilitating or assisting it, but also to emphasise that this is not who we are as a nation.
But I don’t pretend that that is an easy task, or the world’s words alone will suffice, given the trauma and the grief that many in the Jewish community are feeling right now.
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Health minister praises bystander who tackled gunman
Park lauds the “heroic” behaviour of a bystander who tackled one of the alleged gunmen at Bondi, and says without him the situation could have been even worse.
The man tackled one of the shooters and took the rifle from him – you can watch the incredible vision here:
Park says:
Today is just about acknowledging the incredible bravery of that gentleman who put his entire life at risk and without his heroic behaviour and without him, we have been even worse.
Asked about whether he was “shocked” this occurred given how tight Australia’s gun laws are, Park says Australia has some of the “toughest” laws but will let law enforcement answer those questions.
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Health minister confirms 38 people injured
The NSW health minister says 38 people were injured in last night’s shooting and were taken to hospital – some who are critically injured and some who are seriously injured.
Ryan Park is now speaking to ABC News Breakfast, and describes the “massive response” from emergency services – including ambulances, helicopters and special operations teams who arrived at the scene.
Park won’t provide any more information about the motivations of the gunmen and says he’ll leave that to the police. He says:
[There are] 16 people dead. One of those is a child. I need to get some more information about the specifics around the person of interest and where - and how they are.
I spoke to the Jewish Board of Deputies last night. I expressed as the health minister my deep, deep sorrow for what had occurred. I’ll continue to do that. I know government will do that.
But most importantly the community needs to do that. They need to wrap their arms around the Jewish community. This was a horrendous attack, the likes of which I never thought we would ever see in our country. It has and we must now respond and the first and most important thing we can do is look after, care, those who are missing loved ones, simply because they were going about a celebration of their faith.
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Health minister says 16 people dead including a child
NSW health minister Ryan Park has confirmed 16 people have now died from yesterday’s shooting.
Speaking to the Today Show this morning, Park said a child who was taken to the Sydney Children’s Hospital is among those who had died. There are four patients who were transferred to that hospital.
Park paid tribute to the first responders and paramedics who arrived at the scene last night.
This is absolutely horrendous for the community broadly, but particularly the Jewish community … What we saw last night was the worst of humanity, but at the same time, the very best of humanity. I caught up with paramedics last night at Randwick ambulance station as they came back from this horrendous scene, and it’s just heartbreaking to hear their experiences.
Updated
Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you to take over the live blog this morning, thank you to Frances Mao for bringing us the news overnight.
The prime minister, Chris Minns and New South Wales emergency services will provide an update at 7am this morning. We’ll bring that to you live and all other reaction coming in. Stay with us.
Trump condemns 'purely antisemitic attack'
US President Donald Trump has called the mass shooting a “terrible attack” that “was an antisemitic attack, obviously.”
He also praised the man who tackled one of the gunmen.
Trump sent his well wishes to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian people, noting the two countries had a great relationship.
“That’s a terrible situation going on over there,” he said during a White House event.
Other US politicians have condemned the “vile antisemitic” attack including Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani.
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‘Man who tackled gunman’ praised for heroism
Amid the horror of the shooting, one video has emerged showing incredible bravery – a bystander rushing one of the gunmen from behind to wrestle the firearm off him.
Praised a hero, he is being identified by some media as a 43-year-old fruit shop owner from the Sutherland Shire.
He had suffered two bullet wounds, in his arm and in his hand, one of his relatives told Seven News outside a hospital. He is recovering well, the family member said, adding: “We hope he will be fine, he is a hero, 100%, he is a hero.”
Australia's worst shooting in three decades
The attack on Bondi beach is the worst mass shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, in which 35 people were killed.
In the wake of strict gun regulations brought in after that atrocity, Australia has seen relatively few mass killings using firearms – less than half a dozen.
It has been a horrifying night for so many in Bondi, around Australia and the globe. Guardian Australia photographers were at the scene on Sunday evening.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese was asked by reporters on Sunday whether Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian state in September and some ministers’ criticism of the Israeli government may have led to a rise in antisemitism in the country.
A reporter asked: “Have you taken the threat of antisemitism seriously? And can you guarantee the safety of Jewish Australians?”
Albanese: “Yes, we have taken it seriously and we’ve continued to act. We’ve continued to work with Jewish community leaders. We’ve continued to take all the advice from the security agencies to put in place special measures, and will continue to do so.”
The government created an antisemitism envoy as well as as an anti-Islamophobia envoy national role this year, following a series of arson attacks and threats made against synagogues in beachside communities in Sydney at the start of the year.
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Palestinian foreign ministry condemns Bondi attack
The Palestinian foreign ministry has issued a statement condemning the mass shooting.
The ministry said it “reiterates its firm rejection of all forms of violence, terrorism and extremism, which contradict humanitarian values”, and said it showed “full solidarity” with “friendly Australia”.
Australia recognised a Palestinian state in September alongside the UK and Canada- historic shift in decades of Western foreign policy taken in response to Israel’s war in Gaza.
Why the incident was declared a terrorist attack
The state’s police commissioner, Malcolm Lanyon, officially declared a terrorist incident at 9.36pm local time on Sunday, three hours after the attack began.
He said there had been “well over a thousand people there” at the beach, during the Hanukah celebration, when the shooters came out.
He confirmed that there were two shooters – one in custody, and the other killed in the police response. Authorities are investigating if there was a third.
He confirmed investigators were searching homes of suspects in Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s south-west but would not comment on the identity of the suspects.
Lanyon was asked by reporters why the shooting was declared a terrorist attack – which triggers a different set of legislation to other criminal offences.
“There was a range of circumstances. Obviously the fact that it’s the first day of Hanukah, the types of weapons, the offenders, some of the other items we found at the scene,” he said.
“We have found an improvised explosive device in a car which is linked to the deceased offender.
“So there’s a range of circumstances. And obviously the Jewish community has a right to feel safe.”
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The Guardian’s Ben Doherty reports from Bondi beach:
The killing went on so long, those fleeing had time to scream “they’re re-loading” as they scrambled for any place of safety they could find.
Those who could not were pitilessly gunned down.
“I saw children being targeted,” one man, who declined to give his name, told the Guardian. “I saw old people who couldn’t move being shot. It was a massacre. There was blood everywhere.
“It’s unbelievable. This doesn’t happen here. Not here.”
At least twelve people were killed, and nearly 30 were in hospital following a mass shooting at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach on Sunday, a terrorist attack described by the prime minister as “an act of evil antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of this nation”.
Australian leaders and police have been swift to label the shooting an antisemitic terrorist attack.
“This attack was designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community,” said New South Wales’ premier, Chris Minns.
“On the first day of Hanukah, what should have been a night of peace and joy celebrated in that community with families and supporters, has been shattered by this horrifying evil attack.”
“Our heart bleeds for Australia’s Jewish community tonight. I can only imagine the pain that they’re feeling right now to see their loved ones killed as they celebrate this ancient holiday.”
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What we know about the victims
So far, very little information has come out about the identities of those killed and injured in the Bondi beach attack.
We know that 11 people were killed, and one of the gunmen is also dead. A second gunman is injured and in hospital, as are 29 victims, among them two police officers who were wounded while responding to the attack.
London-born rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, has been named as one of the victims, Jewish News reports. The father-of-five, who was assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi, a Jewish cultural centre, grew up in Temple Fortune, north London. His first cousin, Brighton-based Rabbi Zalman Lewis, told Jewish News: “How can a joyful rabbi who went to a beach to spread happiness and light, to make the world a better place, have his life ended in this way?”
One Israeli citizen was among those killed, the Israeli foreign ministry said. It did not name the victim.
The Jerusalem Post reported that one of its contributors, Arsen Ostrovsky, head of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council Sydney office, was wounded in the attack.
Opening summary
Throughout the night, Australians have been grieving a shocking attack on Jewish Australians on the country’s iconic Bondi beach.
Communities are still reeling. “This senseless attack is one which is an actor of terror,” the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said on Sunday night. “My message to Jewish Australians is that your fellow Australians stand with you tonight in condemning this act of terror.”
At least 11 people were killed and almost 30 wounded when gunmen fired on a Hanukah celebration on Bondi beach on Sunday, in what Australian police and officials described as a terrorist attack. One of the gunmen also died.
London-born rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, has been named as one of the victims of the Bondi beach terrorist attack. Jewish News reports that the father-of-five, who was assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi, a Jewish cultural centre, grew up in Temple Fortune, north London, and had family members of Kinloss synagogue in Finchley.
One Israeli citizen was also among those killed, the Israeli foreign ministry said.
A number of “suspicious devices” have been found in the aftermath of the shooting where hundreds of people had gathered for the Chanukah by the Sea event to celebrate the start of the Jewish festival on Sunday.
A man who rushed to the scene to tackle one of the gunmen has two bullet wounds, one in his arm and one in his hand, but is recovering well in hospital, his relative said. Seven News reported the bystander was a 43-year-old fruit shop owner from the Sutherland Shire.
British police will put more officers into Jewish communities after an antisemitic terrorist attack at Bondi beach in Australia. Hanukah, the Jewish festival of lights also known as Chanukah, begins on Sunday evening, with celebrations planned across the UK in the coming days.
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