Vehicle close to Bondi Beach ‘has a number of explosive units inside’, police affirm

A bomb disposal unit is on the scene at Bondi Beach in Sydney after a mass shooting. NSW police commissioner Mal Lanyon says a vehicle near the beach is believed to have several explosive devices inside.

Commissioner Mal Lanyon said at a press conference: “As part of the investigation and shortly after the shooting occurred, police located a vehicle in Campbell Parade in Bondi which we believe has several improvised explosive devices.

“We have our rescue bomb disposal unit there at the moment working on that.” He added it was too early to say what kind of guns were used in the shooting.

Twelve people were confirmed dead in the horrifying Bondi Beach terror attack. A further 29 people including children have been injured. Among the victims was Rabbi Eli Schlanger from the Chabad of Bondi. Mere hours before the tragic event, Rabbi Schlanger had been promoting the event on his Facebook page.

In an update provided on Sunday evening, police reported that the injured included a child with an arm injury, a 62-year-old woman who suffered a gunshot wound to her leg, and a man who sustained a bullet graze to his head.

Eyewitnesses allegedly heard people shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ as the terrifying shooting unfolded at Bondi Beach. One of the suspected gunmen has now been identified, and the incident has been classified as a terrorist attack.

Arsen Ostrovsky was injured in the shooting and said he watched the horror unfold as he felt blood gushing down his head after being shot.

He told Sky News Australia that children and families were enjoying themselves at a festival before chaos ensured. “All of a sudden it’s absolute chaos, there’s guns, fire everywhere, people ducking, it was absolute chaos,” he said. “We didn’t know what was happening, where the gunfire was coming from, I saw blood gushing from me, I saw people hit – falling to the ground.”

Speaking under the condition of anonymity, an Australian law enforcement official named the alleged shooter as Narveed Akram, from Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s south-west. The official stated that Akram’s residence in Bonnyrigg was currently being searched by police, according to ABC.net.au.

One of the shooters was killed during the incident, while the other has been apprehended.

Disturbing footage circulating on social media shows a woman shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ on the beach in the aftermath of the shooting, with onlookers intervening and seemingly urging her to stop.

Officials have assured the public that there is no ongoing threat, but have advised people to steer clear of the area.