SYDNEY (AP) — In a shocking event on Sunday, two gunmen opened fire during a Jewish holiday event at Bondi Beach in Sydney, resulting in at least 11 fatalities, according to Australian authorities. The incident, which has been classified as a terrorist attack, saw one assailant killed by police while the other was taken into custody.
The detained suspect is reported to be in critical condition, with 29 individuals confirmed injured, including two police officers, as per Mal Lanyon, the police commissioner for New South Wales. This tragic event follows a series of antisemitic incidents across Australia over the past year, although no direct connections have been established between them and the Bondi Beach attack. It was noted that one of the attackers was already on the radar of security services.
Jewish Celebration Targeted
The attack was aimed at the Jewish community of Sydney, as confirmed by Premier Chris Minns. Lanyon stated that the event was labeled a terrorist attack due to its specific target and the weapons utilized.
The gathering, known as Chanukah by the Sea, was celebrating the beginning of Hanukkah and had drawn hundreds to Bondi Beach. Among those killed was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, an assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and a prominent organizer of the event, who had served the area for over 18 years.
Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish movement, is renowned for its outreach to secular Jews and organizes public events during major Jewish holidays worldwide.
Australian television aired dramatic footage showing a civilian appearing to tackle and disarm one of the gunmen, subsequently aiming the assailant’s weapon at him. Lanyon mentioned that the death toll was still uncertain, with more wounded individuals arriving at hospitals.
Panic Among Witnesses
Lachlan Moran, a 32-year-old from Melbourne, recounted to The Associated Press how he was nearby waiting for his family when he heard gunfire, prompting him to flee. “You heard a few pops, and I freaked out and ran away. … I started sprinting. I just had that intuition. I sprinted as quickly as I could,” Moran described. He mentioned that the shooting persisted intermittently for around five minutes.
Another witness, Grace, 30, from Melbourne, along with her partner Joel Sargent, 30, were in their hotel room when they heard loud noises and witnessed people running for cover. “People were screaming, and the gun sounded so loud,” Grace shared. “It was constant; it would have been over 50 (shots), easily.”
Police operations are ongoing, with several suspicious items, including an improvised explosive device found in one suspect’s vehicle, being investigated by specialists. Emergency services responded to the shooting reports at Campbell Parade around 6:45 p.m.
National Leaders Respond
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his devastation over the massacre during a press briefing in Canberra.
“This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith, an act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation,” Albanese stated. He emphasized the need to eliminate such hatred, violence, and terrorism within the country.
Efforts are underway to identify all individuals involved in the attack. “Let me be clear we will eradicate it amidst this vile act of violence and hate will emerge a moment of national unity where Australians across the board will embrace their fellow Australians of Jewish faith,” Albanese added. “The evil that was unleashed at Bondi Beach today is beyond comprehension, and the trauma and loss that families are dealing with tonight is beyond anyone’s worst nightmare.”
Surge in Antisemitic Incidents
Australia, with a Jewish population of approximately 117,000 out of 28 million, has seen a more than threefold increase in antisemitic incidents following a Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, as reported by the government’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal, in July.
Last summer, Sydney and Melbourne were shaken by numerous antisemitic attacks, including assaults, vandalism, and intimidation. The majority of Australia’s Jewish population resides in these cities. In August, Albanese attributed two of these attacks to Iran, resulting in severed diplomatic relations with Tehran, although no such claims have been made regarding Sunday’s massacre.
Israel has urged the Australian government to address the surge in antisemitic crimes. “The heart of the entire nation of Israel misses a beat at this very moment,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog remarked. “We repeat our alerts time and time again to the Australian government to seek action and fight against the enormous wave of antisemitism which is plaguing Australian society.”
Rare Occurrence of Mass Shootings
Mass shootings are uncommon in Australia, a country that enacted strict gun laws following the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, where 35 people were killed by a lone gunman. Significant incidents since then include two murder-suicides in 2014 and 2018, with death tolls of five and seven, respectively, involving gunmen who targeted their own families.
In 2022, a rural property in Queensland became the site of a six-hour siege, resulting in the deaths of two police officers and three shooters, who were Christian extremists with anti-police sentiments.
