Australia honors Bondi beach attack victims as PM orders safety review
· Japan TodaySYDNEY — Australia on Sunday was honoring victims of a gun attack on a seaside Hanukkah celebration a week earlier, as the prime minister announced a review of the country's law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
The nation was marking a day of reflection to honor the 15 people killed and the dozens wounded in the attack by two gunmen at Sydney's Bondi beach. With security tight and flags at half-staff on government buildings, a minute of silence was to be held at 6:47 p.m., the time the attack began.
Authorities invited Australians to light a candle on Sunday evening, the start of the eighth and final day of the Jewish festival of lights, "as a quiet act of remembrance with family, friends or loved ones" of the victims of the attack, allegedly carried out by a father and son.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the review would probe whether federal police and intelligence agencies have the "right powers, structures, processes and sharing arrangements in place to keep Australians safe".
The authorities are investigating the attack as an act of terrorism targeting Jews. Patrols and policing across the country have been ramped up to prevent further antisemitic violence. Authorities believe the gunmen were inspired by militant Sunni Muslim group Islamic State.
"The ISIS-inspired atrocity last Sunday reinforces the rapidly changing security environment in our nation. Our security agencies must be in the best position to respond," Albanese said in a statement, adding that the review would conclude by the end of April.
Albanese, under pressure from critics who say his government has not done enough to curb a surge in antisemitism since the start of the war in Gaza, has vowed to strengthen hate laws in the wake of the attack.
The Bondi beach attack was the most serious of a string of antisemitic incidents in Australia, which have included attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars, since Israel launched the war in October 2023, in response to an attack by Hamas.
Albanese condemned anti-immigration rallies scheduled for Sunday in Sydney and Melbourne.
"There are organized rallies seeking to sow division in the aftermath of last Sunday’s antisemitic terrorist attack, and they have no place in Australia," he said in a statement. "They should not go ahead and people should not attend them.”
On Saturday, the government of New South Wales, which includes Sydney, pledged to introduce a bill on Monday to ban the display of symbols and flags of "terrorist organizations", including those of Islamic State, Hamas, al-Qaida, Al Shabaab, Boko Haram and Hezbollah.
Authorities say Islamic State flags were found in the car the alleged attackers took to Bondi.
Alleged gunman Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene. His 24-year-old son Naveed Akram, who was also shot by police and emerged from a coma on Tuesday, has been charged with 59 offenses, including murder and terrorism, according to police. He remains in custody in hospital.
© Thomson Reuters 2025.