Two gunmen yesterday opened fire at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing 11 people and wounding multiple others in a “terrorist incident” aimed at a gathering for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah in Australia.
Emergency responders rushed at least 29 people to local hospitals from the beach, one of the biggest tourist draws in Australia’s largest city, New South Wales police said.
One of the alleged shooters was killed, and the second was in a critical condition, police said.
Photo: AFP
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed ordinary citizens who tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen as “heroes.”
Police declared the shooting a “terrorist incident,” adding that they had found suspected “improvised explosive devices” in a vehicle near the beach that was linked to the “deceased offender.”
“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, anti-Semitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation,” Albanese said in a televised address.
“An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian,” he added.
The shooting took place during an annual “Hanukkah by the Sea” event in the afternoon at Bondi Beach, which police said was attended by more than 1,000 people.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the shooting as a “cruel attack on Jews” and urged the Australian authorities to step up the fight against anti-Semitism.
As gunfire erupted, crowds fled in fear from the beach in eastern Sydney, which draws huge numbers of surfers, swimmers and tourists, especially on weekends.
“We heard the shots. It was shocking, it felt like 10 minutes of just bang, bang, bang. It seemed like a powerful weapon,” said Camilo Diaz, a 25-year-old student.
Emergency services first responded to reports of shots being fired at 6:47pm local time, New South Wales police said.
One witness who declined to be named said he saw six dead or wounded people lying on the beach.
A string of anti-Semitic attacks have spread fear among Jewish communities in Australia following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.
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