Heartbreaking scenes as Aussies collect to mourn the victims of the Bondi Beach terror assault
Hundreds of Aussies have flocked to Bondi Beach to pay tribute to the 15 innocent people and dozens injured after a terrorist attack orchestrated by a father and son.
The deadly attack unfolded on Sunday afternoon while hundreds gathered to attend the Chanukah by the Sea event, marking the first day of Hanukkah.
Two heavily armed men, Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, Sajid Akram, 50, stood on a pedestrian footbridge and allegedly opened fire with military-grade weapons into the crowds of locals, holidaymakers, and families.
So far, 16 people have died, including the alleged gunman Sajid Akram, while a further 42 were taken to hospital in various conditions.
Of those killed, police confirmed 14 died at the scene, while a 10-year-old and a 41-year-old man died in hospital.
On Monday morning, mourners gathered at the world-famous beach to pay their respects and lay flowers for the victims following the terror attack.
Many mourners were seen crying, while others were visibly upset and distressed as they comforted one another.
Hundreds Aussies have flocked to Bondi Beach to pay tribute to the 15 innocent people and the dozens injured in the Bondi Beach terror attack
The morning after the massacre locals gathered near scene to comfort one another (pictured, a woman draped in an Israeli flag comforting another woman)
Mourners paid their respects and laid flowers for the victims near the Bondi Pavilion
Others draped Australian and Israeli flags outside the gates of Bondi Pavilion.
Flowers were also laid outside the Bondi Public School fence, where a pile of tributes is rapidly growing.
One by one, mourners laid flowers and lit candles outside the Bondi Pavilion, with more arrangements being added each passing hour.
Two women, each draped in an Israeli flag with its distinctive blue Star of David against a white background, wept and consoled each other as they stood at the Bondi corner near the scene of Sunday’s shooting.
Nadine Saacks and Karin Sher unleashed a blistering attack on the Albanese government in the wake of the terror attack.
Ms Saacks, who was wearing a cap with the words ‘Make Australia Great Again’, told the Daily Mail Albanese’s words about the massacre being ‘bad for Australia’ weren’t enough and should instead be that ‘it’s bad for Australia’s Jews’.
‘Where are you, where have you been?’ she said. ‘Enough is enough. Please!’
‘We are proud Australians. I have no faith in this country any more.
Many cried and were visibly upset in the aftermath of the shocking event (pictured)
The deadly attack unfolded on Sunday afternoon while hundreds gathered to attend the Chanukah by the Sea event, marking the first day of Hanukkah (pictured, people embrace after laying flowers)
Others placed flowers and tributes outside the Bondi Public School fence (pictured)
‘It happened down my road, where every day I walk my dog. My children! We’ve been talking about this for two years now, that something’s going to happen.’
Local federal Wentworth MP Allegra Spender also visited the scene, where she called for the end of antisemitism in Australia end and for people to ‘come together as a country’.
‘This is an attack on the entire country,’ the Teal MP said.
‘In this country we don’t care about people’s faith, ethnicity or sexuality.
‘People are completely devastated and I’m urging everyone to reach out, person to person, to the Jewish community.’
Albanese attended the site of the Bondi Beach terror attack on Monday morning, appearing sombre as he was flanked by police officers.
He laid flowers at the scene and did not address reporters or speak to media during the visit.
The Prime Minister is facing mounting criticism amid claims he has failed to confront the surge in anti-Semitism across Australia.
Pictured, a man sits on a stoop and mental health personnel stand by near the scene of a shooting
One woman paid tribute to the victims and laid flowers near the site of the shooting where police had taped off the area
Pictured, a woman covering her face as she cried
Another woman was seen being comforted by a man outside the Bondi Pavilion, surrounded by police officers
When asked directly, during a press conference on Monday, if he had let Jewish Australians down, Albanese rejected the accusation.
‘My government will continue to stand with Jewish Australians and stamp out antisemitism in all its forms,’ he said.
‘We have taken strong action and will keep working closely with the community.’
Albanese confirmed he had spoken with Jewish leaders, including Australia’s anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal, who was appointed last year to address rising anti-Semitic sentiment.
Speaking at on Monday, Rabbi Mendel Kastel, who attended the Hanukkah event with his family, said the Jewish community was in shock.
‘We’ve seen antisemitism, we’ve seen people get hit, we’ve seen people get punched, people knocked over but this is a whole other level,’ he said.
‘I don’t know what’s happened to our country and we need to take it back.
‘I think it’s time that people actually step up and say, ‘You know what, we need to step forward and say we are with the Jewish community, we care about you, we’re here to support you.’
Two women, each draped in an Israeli flag, wept and consoled each other one placed the flag on top of the ever-growing pile of flowers
Another woman wept after placing a bouquet of flowers at the scene
Pictured, two women and a man added flowers to the memorial
Others held hands and prayed for the victims and those injured during the mass shooting
‘We’re not just looking after ourselves, we are part of the fabric of this country, we contribute to this country, we participate in this country and therefore it’s important that people step up and make sure that we feel safe.’
Richard Potts has been coming to Bondi since the 1980s and was among those who came to pay his respects on Monday.
‘It’s an icon of Australia and the world having Bondi Beach – it’s a melting pot of different cultures in harmony,’ Mr Potts told AAP, standing metres from the famous golden sands.
‘I don’t think Australians will allow it, to stop Bondi from being Bondi.
Mr Potts and his partner, Swedish national Raija Laatikaimen, said the beach is a vital spot for their local Jewish friends to show their faith freely.
They also emphasised the community spirit showed on Monday morning is far more representative of the true Bondi than the scenes of terror.
‘We had a coffee at a bakery this morning and they were offering free coffees for everyone,’ Ms Laatikaimen told AAP.
‘Our son-in-law started talking to a woman and she burst out in tears and explained her story.’
While most mourners who attended the floral tribute at Bondi Pavilion were united in their grief, moments of tension still bubbled to the surface.
Red Cross volunteers were told to leave by a distressed local and police ordered a person playing loud music to move on.
Police also intervened when, in an apparent display of support for Palestine, a woman caused a disturbance at the growing memorial.
She was escorted from the area by a crowd of officers.
