People who killed 15 people on Sydney beach during Hanukkah are father and son
15 people were victims of the shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday, and one of the shooters also died. According to preliminary data, there were two shooters. Police stated that the attackers were a father and son. The 50-year-old man was killed on the spot, and his 24-year-old son was taken to the hospital in critical condition. At the time of the attack, the celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah had begun on the beach. Police called the attack a terrorist act, BBC reports .
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Witnesses said that the attack on the famous beach, crowded on a hot evening, lasted about 10 minutes.
On Sunday at 6:47 PM local time, Sydney police received a report of a shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in a small park near the beach, which gathered more than a thousand people.
Later, a video verified by the BBC appeared, showing two people shooting at people for several minutes from a bridge leading to the beach. In another video, one of the shooters who had descended from the bridge towards the beach is approached from behind, attacked, and disarmed of his rifle or shotgun. The shooter then leaves.
The number of shooting victims grew. According to the latest data, as stated by New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park, 15 people became victims of the shooters, and one of the shooters was also killed.
As the police reported at a briefing, the 50-year-old shooter was killed on the spot, and his 24-year-old son is in critical condition in the hospital.
Another 40 people remain in the hospital after the attack, including two police officers who are in serious but stable condition. The victims' ages ranged from 10 to 87, police said.
Officials described Sunday's shooting as a targeted antisemitic attack. Police stated that they consider the attack a terrorist act against Sydney's Jewish community, and the vehicle, presumably belonging to the attacker, could have contained "several improvised explosive devices".
The 50-year-old assailant was a member of a shooting club and met the criteria for obtaining a firearms license for amateur hunting, stated State Police Commissioner Mel Lanyon.
According to him, the man had an "AB category license since 2015, which gave him the right to possess long-barreled weapons"; he and his son "have been in Australia for quite a while now." "At this stage, we know very little about them," Lanyon added.
Later, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke clarified that the older of the shooters arrived in the country in 1998 on a student visa, and his son is an Australian citizen by birth.
The passerby who disarmed one of the shooters in the video turned out to be a local resident, 43-year-old father of two, fruit store owner Ahmed al-Ahmed. The shooter who remained on the bridge wounded him in the shoulder and arm. Al-Ahmed was taken to the hospital; according to preliminary data, his life is not in danger.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns called him a true hero. "Thanks to this brave man, many, many people are alive today," Minns said.
As BBC correspondent Tessa Wong reported, the event took place on a lawn near the beach next to the pedestrian bridge from which the fire was opened.
A metal fence was erected around the event site, and people had to enter and exit through gates where bags were apparently checked, but overall, security measures seemed weak.
BBC correspondent Taby Wilson, who was on a neighboring beach, counted about 20 loud bangs, which at first no one paid attention to. People only became concerned when they heard police helicopters flying overhead.
The Sydney shooting became the largest act of violence in Australia in almost 30 years.
Authorities stated that they are confident only two attackers were involved in the incident, although they previously reported checking the involvement of a third person. Police presence in Jewish communities has been increased.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Bondi Beach on Monday morning and laid flowers near the attack site. Earlier, Albanese called the attack "a grim moment for our country" and stated that police and security services are thoroughly investigating the attackers' motives.
"What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location," Albanese told reporters.
Albanese stated that several world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, had contacted him, and he thanked them for their solidarity.
"A terrible attack occurred in Australia," Trump said during a White House reception on Sunday. "And it was clearly an antisemitic attack."
As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, he had warned Prime Minister Albanese that Australia's support for Palestinian statehood would fuel antisemitism.
In August, Australia accused Iran of orchestrating at least two antisemitic attacks and gave Tehran's ambassador a week to leave the country. "Iran tried to conceal its involvement, but in our intelligence's view, it was behind these attacks," the Australian Prime Minister said at the time.
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