Hanukkah celebrations in Australia have been targeted by sophisticated terrorist attacks. Here’s what you need to know.
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Authorities said 16 people died in the aftermath The shots were aimed at those attending a Jewish community event on Sunday at Australia’s Bondi Beach. Another 40 people were hospitalized with injuries, including a child and two police officers, according to police. Another suspected gunman was also killed. He was identified as Akram, 24, a Pakistani national based in Sydney, according to a US intelligence brief and a driver’s license issued by Australian police.
Australian authorities and international leaders condemned it as a sophisticated terrorist attack.
Police say they expect the death toll to rise. Here’s what we know so far.
Gunfire broke out at a Hanukkah meeting
The attack took place during the Jewish holiday celebration to mark the first day of Hanukkah. More than 1,000 people were on the beach, in the Sydney suburb, when the gun went off, said South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Layon, officially declaring a “terrorist incident.”
A number of Australian authorities have simulated the shooting as a target. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said it was “designed to guide Sydney’s Jewish community.”
“This is a targeted attack on Australian Jews on the first day of Hanukkah – a time of joy – an act of evil thinking,” Australian prime minister Anthony Alvune said at a news conference.
Video Fook recorded by residents shows mobs of seafarers fleeing the area as gunfire goes off in the background.
Officials or police did not identify the victims of the attack. Chabad, a global organization representing the branch of Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, said Rabbi Eli Scclanger, and Chabad of Bongi, were among the dead, the Associated Press reported. Sckanger was a key organizer of the Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach, according to the organization.
At least two suspects
Australian authorities have said at least two suspected gunmen are suspected of carrying out the deadly shooting, which comes from an unusual country in a country where gun violence is not uncommon.
Lanyon said the deceased suspect was previously known to the New South Wales Police. Apart from the gunman who was killed at the scene, he was admitted to the hospital with serious injuries, he said. The surviving gunman was taken into custody. The Commissioner also says officials are investigating whether a “third party” was involved.
A man has been hailed as a hero and commended by the Police Commissioner for confronting one suspect and stopping him in a Dramatic Video Fook recorded on Campbell Parade, the main street covering Bondi Beach. While busy, the man could be seen hiding behind a parked car before fighting with the suspect and taking his weapon.
Australian news outlets have identified the man who witnessed the dismemberment of the suspect as fruit shop owner Ahmed Al Ahmed, who identified his relatives.
Police found explosive devices
Shortly after the shooting occurred, officers who responded to the scene found a vehicle found on Campbell Parade and believed there were several explosive devices inside, Lanyon said. This car was linked to the deceased activist, according to the police commissioner. A bomb disposal rescue team was on the scene.
The rise of antisemitism in Australia
Although Australia rarely finds dead bodies, after implementing strict gun control laws after the 1996 massacre in Tasmania’s Port Arthur, antisemitic incidents It has been on the rise in the country since the start of the war in Gaza in 2023.
The Australian government appointed special envoys in 2024 to tackle gun violence, and Islamophobia, in its communities. But the attack had happened this year. Another, in July, involved a protester setting fire to the entrance of a synagogue in Melbourne, while worshipers were inside.
World leaders responded
The attack on Bondi Beach drew widespread condemnation from leaders around the world.
In the US, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said about fighting antisemitism in the social media, saying: “Antisemitism has no place in this country.” The Jewish community and the people of Australia. ”
Rubio joined officials from many countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Finland, New Zealand, comments showing sympathy for Jewish communities, and erasing antisemitism.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among officials in his country who publicly reacted to the attack in Australia. In a statement issued by his office, Netanyahu criticized the Albanians for supporting the Palestinian state and said that such work is harmful to antisemitism.
“Your call on the Palestinian situation pours fuel on the antisemitic fire,” Netanyahu said in a statement, citing a letter the Israeli Prime Minister said he wrote to Albanese in August. “It rewards the terrorist Hamas. It strengthens those who persecute Australian Jews and promotes the hatred of Jews now.”
The American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group and organization, said the attack “comes after repeated warnings, including from the Australian Jewish community itself,” adding that it “endorses violence and death.”
