People walk as police officers stand guard on the street following a shooting incident at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia.
Credit: Reuters Photo
The two gunmen who killed 15 people and injured several others at a Jewish celebration in Sydney's Bondi beach on Sunday were a father and son duo, police said Monday.
In a press conference, the police said that the 50-year-old father was identified as Sajid Akram and was killed at the scene, while the 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram is in a critical condition and has been admitted to the hospital.
According to the police, Sajid was a fruit shop owner in Sydney.
The officials have termed the attack, the worst gun violence in Australia in 30 years, as anti-semitic.
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 fleeing to the nearby streets and parks.
Police said around 1,000 people had attended the Hanukkah event.
The police said 40 injured people, including two police officers who are in serious but stable condition, are in the hospital. The victims were aged between 10 and 87.
Authorities had earlier said there could be a third attacker but then confirmed that there were only two.
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."
The prime minister said world leaders including US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron had expressed solidarity.
"In Australia, there was a terrible attack ... and that was an antisemitic attack obviously," Trump said at the White House on Sunday, paying respects for the victims of attacks at Bondi and another shooting at Rhode Island's Brown University.
Eyewitnesses narrate horrific incident
Meanwhile, a witness captured a video of a man tackling and disarming one of the shooters. He has now been hailed as a hero who saved several lives.
Rabbi Mendel Kastel, whose brother-in-law Eli Schlanger was killed in Sunday’s attack, told Reuters it had been a harrowing evening.
“You can very easily become very angry and try to blame people, turn on people but that’s not what this is about. It’s about a community,” he said.
“We need to step up at a time like this, be there for each other, and come together. And we will, and we will get through this, and we know that. The Australian community will help us do it,” he added.