Anthony Albanese used stark language Monday to condemn the Bondi Beach shooting that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration, calling it “pure evil” as he laid flowers at the entrance to Bondi Pavilion. The Australian prime minister directed flags nationwide to fly at half-mast as the country mourned victims of what officials classified as targeted antisemitic terrorism.
The tragedy struck during a Sunday evening gathering of approximately 1,000 Jewish community members celebrating Hanukkah in a park near the famous beach. Two shooters, identified as a father-son pair, unleashed roughly ten minutes of violence that transformed a festive atmosphere into a nightmare. Beachgoers described scenes of panic as people scattered across the sand and into streets, many uncertain where the danger was coming from or how to protect their families.
Security forces killed the older gunman, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, during their response, which added one to the death toll for a total of sixteen lives lost. The younger shooter, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, survived with critical wounds and was hospitalized under police supervision. The familial connection between the attackers has raised questions about radicalization within households and the challenge of detecting such threats before they materialize.
Medical teams continued caring for forty injured individuals, including two law enforcement officers whose serious injuries had stabilized. The wounded represented a cross-section of ages from ten to 87, emphasizing that entire families attending the celebration were affected. Local hero Ahmed al Ahmed, who owns a fruit shop, demonstrated remarkable bravery by wrestling a gun from one of the attackers, sustaining arm and hand injuries that required surgical treatment.
This shooting represents the worst gun violence Australia has experienced in nearly thirty years, a particularly shocking development in a country that has maintained relatively strict firearm regulations and low gun crime rates. The deliberate targeting of a Jewish religious event at an iconic national landmark has sparked conversations about rising antisemitism and the need for enhanced security at community gatherings. As the investigation continued, Australians grappled with how such hatred could manifest in one of their most beloved public spaces.