An aerial view of emergency personnel working at the scene of a shooting.
Credit: Reuters Photo
The shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach during a Jewish festival on Sunday resulted in the killing of 15 people.
According to witnesses as quoted by Reuters, the attack at the packed beach went on for 10 minutes, creating panic and sending hundreds running in the sand trying to flee According to Reuters, witnesses said that the shooting lasted for about 10 minutes at the packed popular beach. It created panic, sending hundreds running in the sand trying to flee to the nearby streets and parks.
Police said around 1,000 people had attended the Hanukkah event.
The police added that 40 people were injured, including including two police officers who are in serious but stable condition.
The victims were aged between 10 and 87.
Who were the attackers?
The massacre was carried by a father-son duo armed with rifles. They were identified as Sajid Akram, a 50-year-old man, who was killed on the spot and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram. He is critically injured and is undergoing treatment in a hospital.
According to the police, Sajid was a fruit shop owner in Sydney.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who visited the scene on Monday, called the attack a "dark moment for our nation," adding that the security agencies were checking the motive behind the attack.
"What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location," Albanese told the media.
"The Jewish community are hurting today. Today, all Australians wrap our arms around them and say, we stand with you. We will do whatever is necessary to stamp out antisemitism. It is a scourge, and we will eradicate it together.
Who were the victims?
Among the 35 victims were a British-born rabbi, who was a father of five, a Holocaust survivor, and a 10-year-old-girl, Reuters reported quoting local media.
The police said 40 others were injured and admitted in the hospital. This includes two police and three children.
Here are the details of those who lost their lives.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger: Schlanger was an assistant rabbi at Chabad Bondi, the orgainisation which arranged the event. Chabad is a global Jewish organisation, aiming to foster Jewish identity and connection.
Schlanger lived in Sydney for the last 18 years. He had recently become a father for the fifth time.
Dan Elkayam: Elkayam was a French national and President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the death in the shootings. According to French media was in his late twenties and had been to Australia to celebrate Hanukkah.
According to his LinkedIn account, he had providing technical support to global media company NBC Universal in Sydney since last December, according to his LinkedIn page.
He had a Bachelor's degree in computer systems and a Master of engineering systems, and was previously based in Paris.
Matilda: Matilda was among the youngest of the victims. The 10-year-old died at the celebration, confirmed her aunt on social media. She was a student at Harmony Russian School of Sydney.
She has been described as a “bright, joyful, and spirited child who brought light to those around her", as per local media.
Reuven Morrison: Morrison was a member of the Chabad community who divided his time between Melbourne and Sydney, according to a report by Chabad.
Alex Kleytman
Kleytman is the oldest of the victims at 87 years. He was a holocaust survivor and had attended the event with his children and grandchildren, Chabad said.
Rabbi Yaakov Levitan
Levitan was the secretary of the Sydney Jewish religious organisation Beth Din, Chabad said.
Tibor Weitzen
According to the Daily Mail, father and husband Tibor Weitzen was shot when he tried to protect his wife from the gunfire. She survived the attack.
Australia finds a hero
Amid the carnage, a bystander, identified as Ahmed al Ahmed, tackled one of the shooters and disarmed him.
The 43-year-old juice seller has been hailed as a hero and is believed to have saved numerous lives.
Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales state, also hailed him as "a genuine hero" and said the video was "the most unbelievable scene I've ever seen", Reuters reported.
"There are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery," Minns added.
According to Mustapha, Ahmed’s cousin, the fruit seller is in hospital, and was undergoing a surgery for bullet wounds.
"He's in hospital and we don't know exactly what's going on inside. We do hope he will be fine. He's a hero 100 percent," Mustapha told 7News.
Reuters reported that the man underwent surgery and is now recovering after being shot in the arm and the hand.
Ahmed had no experience with guns and was only walking past the area when he decided to step in.