What we know so far about the Bondi Beach shooting

By Hanan Dervisevic, ABC Photo: AFP/SAEED KHAN Sixteen people, including one of two gunmen, are dead after a mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach. Another 38 people, including two police officers, are injured and have been taken to hospitals across the city. A massive police and ambulance response is underway at the world-famous beach. Here is what we know so far. Photo: AFP /DAVID GRAY What happened at Bondi Beach? NSW police responded to reports of an active shooter at Bondi Beach in Sydney at about 6:45pm AEDT. Footage from the scene shows two men opening fire from a bridge into a crowd. ABC reporter Sean Tarek Goodwin spoke to a witness who said he saw two shooters dressed in black standing on a small footbridge near the Bondi playground car park. He said the shooters "mowed down" people who were gathered at the park. The witness said the shooting seemed to last about 10 minutes and described it as "absolute hell on Earth". NSW Premier Chris Minns says footage of a man disarming one of the shooters is the "most unbelievable scene I've ever seen". "[It shows] a man walking up to a gunman who had fired on the community and single-handedly disarming him, putting his own life at risk to save the lives of countless other people," Mr Minns said. "That man is a genuine hero, and I've got no doubt that there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery." Photo: Supplied via ABC In a statement on X, King Charles said he and Queen Camilla "commend the police, emergency services and members of the public whose heroic actions no doubt prevented even greater horror and tragedy". He added: "Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected so dreadfully, including the police officers who were injured while protecting members of their community." How many people have died? Sixteen people, including one shooter, have been killed in the attack, NSW Police have confirmed. A second shooter is in police custody, but his condition is unknown. Thirty-eight others, including two police officers, have been injured. The two police are in a critical but stable condition. Both are currently in surgery. NSW Ambulance says it has transported six patients to St Vincent's Hospital, three to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, two to St George, two to Royal North Shore, one to Westmead, one to Sydney Children's Hospital and one to Prince of Wales. Israel's foreign ministry has confirmed one Israeli citizen is among the dead while another has been injured. A family member later posted on social media that British-born rabbi Eli Schlanger was among those killed in the attack. A suspected improvised explosive device (IED) was also located in a car on Campbell Parade, police said. It is understood that the IEDs were located close to the bridge where the shooters were firing rounds from. The devices were transported away from the scene in an armoured car. The scene is no longer an exclusion zone and has been handed over to crime scene investigators. Photo: AFP / DAVID GRAY Who are the Bondi shooters? One of the gunmen has been identified as Naveed Akram from Bonnyrigg in Sydney's south-west. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, says Akram's home in Bonnyrigg is being raided by police. The head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Mike Burgess said he was looking into the identities of the attackers and if there was anyone else in the community "with similar intent". Asked whether any of the shooters were on ASIO watchlists, Burgess said: "One of these individuals was known to us, but not in an immediate-threat perspective, so we need to look into what happened here." Police sources have told the ABC investigators understand the two Bondi Beach gunmen are a father and son. Naveed Akram, 24, remains in hospital under police guard while his 50-year-old father was shot dead in the exchange of gunfire with police on Sunday. NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said police are not looking for a third suspect. "We are satisfied there were two offenders involved in yesterday's incident," Lanyon said. "One is deceased. The second is in critical but stable condition in hospital at the moment. " He said the shooters had six licensed firearms. Photo: HANDOUT Where did the shooting happen? The shooting appears to have taken place at the northern end of Bondi Beach, near or at Bondi Park playground. A large group was gathered in the park as part of a Hanukkah celebration called Chanukah by the Sea, which started at about 5pm and was expected to run until 9pm. Minns said the shooting was a "targeted attack on the Jewish community". Commissioner Lanyon has declared the shooting a terrorist incident. "As a result of the circumstances of the incident tonight, at 9:36pm this evening, I declared this to be a terrorist incident," he said. Photo: ABC News / Nick Dole What is Hanukkah? Yesterday was the first day of Chanukah, or Hanukkah, an eight-day Jewish...

What we know so far about the Bondi Beach shooting

Continue Reading on RNZ

How do you feel about this article?

📝 Article Information

Author

Original Publisher

Published Date

Disclaimer

What we know so far about the Bondi Beach shooting

Continue Reading on RNZ

How do you feel about this article?

📝 Article Information

Author

Original Publisher

Published Date

Disclaimer

More from RNZ