Australia: The attack that targeted the Jewish community in Bondi Beach has left 16 people dead and 40 hospitalized
Australia: According to New South Wales (NSW) Police on Monday, the number of fatalities from the shooting that targeted the Jewish community celebrating the first day of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach, Australia, has increased to 16, and at least 40 others are still in hospitals.
“Police can confirm 16 people have died and 40 people remain in hospital following yesterday’s shooting at Bondi,” the NSW Police Force said in a post on X, sharing the information. Soon, more details will be accessible.
A spokesman of the Jewish community confirmed to CNN that a rabbi and a 12-year-old daughter were among the victims.
Authorities have also said that there are still limits on aircraft activities above Bondi Beach and that the area around the beach is still closed while investigations are ongoing.
“As detectives continue to search the murder site, Bondi Beach and the surrounding roads will be blocked today. The police department said in a different post on X that it is forbidden for aircraft, including drones, to fly above the murder scene.
The shooting, which has been formally classified as a terrorist act, happened as hundreds of people were gathering to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah and especially targeted the Jewish community.
In his speech to the country after the deadly massacre, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denounced the event. He called the event a “devastating terror attack” and showed support for the Jewish community in Australia.
He said it was “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, antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation.”
“There is no place for this hate, violence and terrorism in our nation,” he said.
A man and his son were the two suspects in the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach, Australia, according to Mal Lanyon, the commissioner of police for New South Wales.
During a news conference, Lanyon said that the 24-year-old son is now in the hospital and is in critical but stable condition, while the 50-year-old father was shot dead by police at the spot.
Additionally, authorities verified that cops had properly secured and removed explosive devices found in a neighboring car.
Since tough gun regulations were put in place in 1996 in response to the Port Arthur tragedy, mass shootings have been uncommon in Australia. The Australian Institute of Criminology reports that the most current data available for firearm-related murders was 31 in 2023–2024.