Australian police announced today (Monday, December 15) that 15 people ranging in age from 10 to 87 were killed and 30 others wounded in an armed attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
Australian media identified the attackers as Sajid Akram and Navid Akram, a father and son.
According to police, one of the assailants, the father, was killed at the scene, while the son remains hospitalized in critical condition. The first attacker was reportedly disarmed by a 43-year-old fruit vendor named Ahmad Al-Ahmad. Mr. Al-Ahmad sustained two gunshot wounds and is currently hospitalized.
Authorities have described the shooting as a “targeted, anti-Semitic attack.”
Witnesses stated that the assault occurred during a large gathering at the beach and lasted approximately 10 minutes. Police confirmed that about 1,000 people were attending a Hanukkah celebration at a small park adjacent to the beach when the attack began.
Australian police disclosed that the elder Akram arrived in Australia on a student visa in 1988, and his son was born in the country. The father had held a firearms license since 2015 and was the registered owner of six legal weapons.
A local resident recounted that when the shooting began, people initially mistook the sound for fireworks before realizing the danger and fleeing.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Bondi Beach this morning, laying flowers near the site of the incident. He told reporters, “What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil; an anti-Semitic act and a terror attack on our soil in an iconic Australian location.”
Albanese added that several world leaders, including Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron, had contacted him to offer condolences.
