Australia is still in shock after the , in Sydney, which has left at least 16 dead (15 victims, including a 10-year-old girl, as well as one of the attackers) and more than 40 injured during a Jewish celebration for the beginning of the Hanukkah holiday. The Australian authorities have described this attack as an anti-Semitic terrorist attack that, in almost three decades, has become the most serious episode of armed violence recorded in the country.
The attack occurred around 6:40 p.m. local time (at 8:40 a.m. in mainland Spain), when two men armed with rifles opened fire on attendees of a party held in Archer Park, next to the popular Bondi beach, one of the busiest and most emblematic enclaves in the country, to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which commemorates the victory of light over darkness, understood as the resistance of the Judaism facing religious persecution in ancient Judea.
He has led the Australian authorities to reinforce surveillance and protection in Jewish communities in the rest of the country, while investigations continue to fully clarify what happened, which includes reviewing the background of one of the attackers, whom the Australian intelligence agency (ASIO) had already investigated years ago for his alleged links with jihadist extremism, as reported by the public broadcaster. ABC. This attack is already considered the deadliest in Australia since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, an event that marked a before and after in gun control legislation.
The attack and the number of victims
The celebration, known as Chanukah by the Sea, had brought together between 1,000 and 2,000 people, according to police estimates and testimonies from attendees. The shooting continued for several minutes and caused scenes of panic, with hundreds of people fleeing towards the beach, nearby streets and surrounding parks as gunshots were heard.
Fourteen people died at the scene and two others died later in hospital, including a 10-year-old girl. The victims, not yet formally identified by Australian authorities, ranged in age from 10 to 87 years old. At least two police officers are among the injured.
According to the latest official update, 40 people remain hospitalized, including four minors, and several remain in critical condition. The area remains cordoned off as a crime scene, with extensive police deployment.
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New South Wales Police have confirmed that the alleged perpetrators of the attack were a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son, both armed with rifles. The father died at the scene after a confrontation with the officers, while the son was seriously injured and remains hospitalized in police custody, in critical but stable condition.
“We are convinced that there were two offenders involved in the incident, one has died and the second is in critical condition, but stable in the hospital. This is a 50-year-old man and another 24-year-old, who are father and son,” explained the Chief Commissioner of the State Police, Mal Lanyon, in a press conference.
Security forces have ruled out the existence of further suspects and have carried out searches in Bonnyrigg and Campsie, south-west of Sydney, locations linked to the attackers. Six firearms were recovered, which, according to the Police, were legally registered in the name of the deceased attacker, who had had a license for more than a decade.
The background investigated by Australian intelligence
In parallel to the police investigation, the public broadcaster ABC has reported, citing an anonymous source from the Australian intelligence agency (ASIO), that one of the perpetrators of the attack was investigated six years ago for his alleged links with a cell of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) in Sydney.
According to this information, that investigation did not lead to judicial measures or the consideration of an immediate threat. Australian authorities have insisted that there were no recent signs of a concrete plan or active alerts prior to Sunday’s attack. Investigators are now analyzing this background within the ongoing investigations, without a direct connection between that investigation and the Bondi attack having been publicly established for the moment.
A terrorist and anti-Semitic attack
Authorities formally declared the event a terrorist incident hours after the attack and activated special powers to ensure that “there is no additional threat to the community.” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called what happened “a dark moment for our nation.”
“What we saw was an act of pure evil, an act of anti-Semitism, an act of terrorism on our shores, in an iconic place in Australia associated with joy, families and celebrations,” Albanese said. “It is forever tarnished by what happened.”
The attack occurs in a context of increasing anti-Semitic incidents in Australia since the start of the war in Gaza after the attacks of October 7, 2023. In the last year, attacks, threats and acts of vandalism against synagogues, buildings and vehicles have been recorded, especially in Sydney and Melbourne.
Reactions in Australia and abroad
The massacre has provoked a wave of condemnations inside and outside the country. UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned “the atrocious and deadly attack” against “Jewish families gathered in Sydney to celebrate Hanukkah” and assured that his heart is “with the world Jewish community.”
The United States, through Secretary of State Marco Rubio, expressed its “strong rejection” and stressed that “anti-Semitism has no place in this world.” France confirmed the death of a French citizen and expressed its solidarity with the victims and the Australian authorities.
Israel was one of the first countries to react. President Isaac Herzog condemned a “vile terrorist attack” against Jews celebrating Hanukkah, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the event a “horrible attack and cold-blooded murder” and reiterated that he had previously warned about the rise of anti-Semitism. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir linked the attack to political decisions by the Australian Executive related to Palestine.
Condemnations also came from the Arab and Muslim world. The Council of Imams of Australia rejected violence and expressed its support to the victims and their families. Countries such as Qatar and the Palestinian Authority condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Australia, underlining their rejection of all forms of terrorism.
Australian authorities maintain reinforced security and continue investigations to fully clarify what happened in an attack that has shaken the country and reopened the debate on terrorism, anti-Semitism and the prevention of political violence in Australia.
