Father and son kill at least 15, injure 40 in Australia's Bondi Beach shooting

by · UPI

Dec. 14 (UPI) -- At least 16 people were killed and 40 were injured after two gunmen opened fire at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday evening.

The alleged assailants were a father and son, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said during a Monday press conference. They had told family that they were going fishing ahead of the shooting, local media reported.

Police shot and killed the 50-year-old father at the scene. The 24-year-old son was in critical but stable condition, according to a statement by the NSW Police Force.

Police said 14 people, including the 50-year-old alleged assailant, died at the scene and 42 others, including four children, were injured and hospitalized across the city.

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On Monday, authorities updated the death toll to 16, after a 10-year-old girl and a 40-year-old man who were injured in the shooting succumbed to their injuries.

The deceased have yet to be formally identified, although police said they believe their ages ranged between 10 and 87.

Of the injured, five remain in critical condition. The others remain in serious but stable conditions, including two injured police officers.

Police said emergency services were called to respond to reports of shots fired around 6:45 p.m. local time, and residents were advised to take immediate shelter in the aftermath. Lanyon declared it a terrorist attack at 9:36 p.m.

As the investigation continued, police said that a number of suspicious items were found nearby that prompted responses from bomb squads, though no other incidents in Sydney have been reported in connection with the shooting. Police said the pair used "long arms" to fire into crowds of people at the white-sand crescent beach, which is one of Australia's most iconic and famous tourist attractions. Six firearms have been recovered.

Lanyon said Monday that the father is a licensed firearms holder. He said police are investigating to confirm that the six firearms confiscated are the six licensed to the alleged shooter and also that there were the weapons used in the Sunday shooting.

Search warrants were executed Sunday night at two locations, one at Bonnyrigg and another at Campsie.

"It's important for the community to have the reassurance that New South Wales Police, working with our Commonwealth partners, will not stop until we understand the reasons behind this senseless incident and take any available action that we need to do," Lanyon said.

"We always work closely with our Commonwealth partners to make sure that we keep the community safe."

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said at the news conference that the attack "was designed to target Sydney's Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed in a video message that the shooting happened during a "Hanukkah by the Sea" celebration hosted by Chabad of Bondi.

A listing for the event said it included live entertainment and a giant menorah lighting, among other activities "for all ages."

"An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian," Albanese said. "There is no place for this hate, violence and terrorism in our nation."

The shooting comes amid a spike in anti-Semitism and attacks targeting Australia's Jews amid Israel's war in Gaza.

In October 2024, an arson attack destroyed Continental Kitchen, a kosher restaurant in Sydney.

The next month, a dozen vehicles were damaged by graffiti and at least one was set ablaze.

In December 2024, a Melbourne synagogue was the target of arson that authorities called a terrorist attack.

"What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of anti-semitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australia location, Bondi Beach. This is associated with joy, associated with families gathering, associated with celebrations. And it is forever tarnished by what has occurred last evening," Albanese said Monday.

"This was an attack deliberately targeted at the Jewish community on the first day of Hanukah, which of course should be a joyous celebration. The Jewish community are hurting today. Today, all Australians wrap our arms around them and say, we stand with you."