Ten people have died in a shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney, police confirmed, including one attacker. A second suspect is in custody and injured.
At least 12 others were wounded, including two police officers. Television networks Sky and ABC broadcast footage showing victims lying on the ground.
A local witness, 30-year-old Harry Wilson, told The Sydney Morning Herald: “I saw at least ten people on the ground, and there was blood everywhere.”
Targeted Attack on Jewish Community Event
Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said the shooting occurred during a Hanukkah celebration at dusk. He described the attack as a deliberate targeting of the Jewish community.
“This is a Jewish community at its best, coming together to celebrate a happy occasion. That we were intentionally targeted at this level is unimaginable,” Ryvchin said, noting that his media advisor was injured in the attack.
Government Response
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged the public to follow official police updates. “We are aware of an active security situation in Bondi,” he said.
The attack comes almost exactly 11 years after the 2014 Lindt café siege in Sydney, when a gunman took 18 hostages, resulting in the deaths of two hostages and the attacker after a 16-hour standoff.
