On Sunday, Sydney’s Bondi Beach saw the worst mass shooting in Australia in almost 30 years. Two people opened fire at a crowded Hanukkah event, killing 15 and injuring many others. Officials call it an act of antisemitic terrorism. The attack shocked the country, and the government quickly promised to change the already strict gun laws. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was a terrible time for our country.
Police said a father and his son were responsible for the 10-minute attack. About 1,000 people ran from the sand into nearby streets. Police killed the 50-year-old father at the scene, bringing the total dead to 16. His 24-year-old son is in the hospital in critical condition. The victims were between 10 and 87 years old, including a young girl, a rabbi, and other members of Sydney’s Jewish community celebrating Hanukkah.
The shooting has sparked debate about Australia’s gun rules. Police said the older suspect had a gun license since 2015 and six guns registered to him. This has people questioning the current system for monitoring gun owners.
Government Says Gun Laws Will Change Right Away
Prime Minister Albanese held an emergency meeting on Monday. Afterward, he said the government would strengthen gun laws and start a national gun registry. Changes might include limiting the number of guns per license, shortening license duration, and making it harder to get guns.
Things can change for people, Albanese told reporters. People can become radical over time. Licenses shouldn’t last forever.
The government is considering ideas like limiting license duration, restricting the number of guns people can own, and having stricter rules on gun types and modifications. It is also looking at whether only Australian citizens should have gun permits.
The news organization ABC and other media said the suspects were Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram. Home Minister Tony Burke said that the father came to Australia in 1998 on a student visa, and his son was born in Australia. Security officials said that they knew about one of the suspects, but he wasn’t considered a major threat.
We are trying to learn as much as we can about both of them. Right now, we don’t know much about them, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters.
Videos from the scene showed the attackers shooting what looked like a bolt-action rifle and a shotgun. ABC News said that two Islamic State flags were found in the gunmen’s car, but they didn’t say where they got the information.
Forty people were taken to the hospital after the attack, including two police officers who are in serious but stable condition.
Person Nearby Takes Gun From Attacker, Gets Hurt
Ahmed al Ahmed, who was at the scene, was caught on video tackling one of the gunmen and taking his gun. People are calling him a hero because his actions saved lives. He needed surgery after being shot twice. A campaign to raise money for him has already collected more than A$1 million ($665,000).
Morgan Gabriel, a 27-year-old from Bondi, was going to a movie when she heard what she thought were fireworks. Then she saw people running. Their phones were left on the beach, and everyone was just trying to get away, she said. She added that two of the six or seven people she helped were close friends.
The beach, usually crowded, was empty on Monday morning. People gathered at a memorial at the Bondi Pavilion to remember those who died. The memorial was decorated with Israeli and Australian flags. Police and Jewish security guards patrolled the area.
What we saw yesterday was a very bad act, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism, Albanese said after placing flowers at the memorial. The Jewish community is hurting today. Today, all Australians are supporting them and saying, we are with you. We will do whatever we need to do to stop antisemitism. It is a terrible problem, and we will get rid of it together.
Countries Around the World Show Support
Leaders from around the world, including U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, offered their support. Big cities like London and New York increased security at Hanukkah events after the attack.
The shooting at Bondi is the worst in a series of antisemitic attacks on synagogues, buildings, and vehicles in Australia since Israel’s operations in Gaza started in October 2023. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Albanese, saying that he had warned that Australia’s acknowledgement of Palestinian statehood would make antisemitism worse.
In August, Australia said that Iran was behind at least two antisemitic attacks and kicked out the Iranian ambassador.
Mass shootings are not common in Australia, which is usually considered one of the safest countries in the world. Sunday’s attack is the worst since 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people at Port Arthur in Tasmania. That event led to major gun control changes that are credited with almost eliminating mass shootings for nearly three decades.
Rabbi Mendel Kastel, whose brother-in-law Eli Schlanger was killed, asked people not to be angry or divided. It’s easy to get angry and blame people, but that’s not the answer, he said. We need to step up at a time like this… And we will, and we will get through this. The Australian community will help us do it.
About 150,000 of Australia’s 27 million people are Jewish. Around a third of them live in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, including Bondi.
Australia is facing a challenge to its safety and multicultural harmony. The promised gun law changes will be tested to see if they can prevent future tragedies. The flowers at Bondi Beach remind people of the lives lost and the community shaken. They also show the country is determined to prevent this from happening again. It remains to be seen if these changes will be enough, but it is an important question for Australia as it deals with its worst day in a long time.
