Shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach leaves 11 dead

Gunmen opened fire at a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Dec 14, killing at least 11 people in what Australian officials described as a targeted antisemitic attack.

One suspected gunman was killed and another was in a critical condition, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told a press conference. At least 29 people injured, including two police officers, were taken to hospital, he said. Police were investigating whether a third gunman was involved in the shooting, and a bomb-disposal unit was working on several suspected improvised explosive devices, he said.

Authorities said far more people would have been killed were it not for a bystander, identified by local media as fruit shop owner Ahmed al-Ahmed, 43, who was filmed charging a gunman from behind, grappling with him and wresting a rifle from his hands. "There are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery," said Mr Chris Minns, premier of New South Wales state where Sydney is located, calling the bystander "a genuine hero". Mr Mike Burgess, a top Australian intelligence official, said one of the suspected attackers was known to authorities but had not been deemed an immediate threat.

Australia has experienced a string of anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars since the beginning of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023. Mass shootings are rare in Australia, one of the world's safest countries. The Dec 14 attack was the worst such incident in the country since 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people at a tourist site in the southern state of Tasmania. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a meeting of the country's national security council and condemned the attack, saying the evil that was unleashed was "beyond comprehension".

"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," he said. "At this dark moment for our nation, our police and security agencies are working to determine anyone associated with this outrage." Witnesses said the shooting at the famed beach on a hot summer's evening lasted about 10 minutes, sending beach-goers scattering along the sand and into nearby streets and parks. Police said around 1,000 people had attended the Hanukkah event alone.

"I was just getting ready to go home, and, like, I was packing my bag, got my flipflops, was ready to catch my bus, and then I started hearing the shots," said Bondi Junction resident Marcos Carvalho, 38. "We all panicked and started running as well. So we left everything behind, like flip-flops, everything. We just ran through the hill," he said. "I must have heard, I don't know, maybe, like, 40, 50 shots." The Sydney Morning Herald said multiple people had been injured after gunmen opened fire just after 6.30pm local time (3.30pm Singapore time) as hundreds attended a Jewish festival at the beach. Television networks Sky and ABC aired footage showing people lying on the ground.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Jewish people who had gone to light the first candle of the Hanukkah holiday on the beach had been attacked by "vile terrorists". Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was appalled by the shooting and that Australia's government must "come to its senses" after countless warnings.

"These are the results of the antisemitic rampage in the streets of Australia over the past two years, with the antisemitic and inciting calls of 'Globalise the Intifada' that were realised today," he said. One of the world's most famous beaches, Bondi is typically crowded with locals and tourists, especially on warm weekend evenings. Mr Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told Sky News in an interview that the shooting happened at an event at the beach celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, which began at sundown.

"This is the Jewish community at its best coming together to mark a happy occasion. If we were targeted deliberately in this way, it's something of a scale that none of us could have ever fathomed. It's a horrific thing," he said, adding that his media adviser had been wounded in the attack. Bondi resident Grace Mathew said she saw people running past her and heard gunshots. "Initially you just think, it's a beautiful day down by the beach," she said.

"You sort of think that people are just having a good time. Then more people ran past and said there's a shooter, there's a mass shooting and they're killing people."

Muslim groups condemned the shooting. "These acts of violence and crimes have no place in our society. Those responsible must be held fully accountable and face the full force of the law," the Australian National Imams Council, the Council of Imams NSW and the Australian Muslim community said in a statement. "Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those who witnessed or were affected by this deeply traumatic attack."

Videos circulating on X appeared to show people on Bondi Beach scattering as multiple gunshots and police sirens can be heard. Another video showed two men pressed onto the ground by uniformed police on a small pedestrian bridge. Officers could be seen trying to resuscitate one of the men. One video appeared to capture a bystander heroically wrestling a rifle off one of the alleged gunmen. The man can be seen approaching the shooter after he fires off a shot, before disarming him. A different man was seen firing a weapon from a pedestrian bridge. Singapore's High Commission in Canberra urged Singaporeans in the vicinity of Bondi Beach near Sydney to monitor news from official sources and heed local authorities' advice.

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