The death toll from the Bondi Beach massacre has risen to 16 overnight, and includes a child, marking one of the darkest days in the country’s history.
Australia’s most iconic tourist destination was rocked by a mass shooting on Sunday as two men stood on a pedestrian footbridge and opened fire into crowds of locals, holidaymakers and families.
Some had been there to celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Light, which police believed was the intended target of the massacre that has been officially designated a terrorist attack.
On Sunday night, the death toll stood at 12, with NSW Health Minister Ryan Park confirming to the Today Show on Monday morning that it had risen to 16.
A child passed away at Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick. Four patients were transferred to the children’s hospital, Park said.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon also confirmed at least 29 people had been injured.
One of the gunmen was also shot dead and the second has been hospitalised under police guard.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gave a speech to the public following a meeting of the National Security Committee on Sunday night.
‘There is no place for this hate, violence and terrorism in our nation,’ he said.
‘Let me be clear we will eradicate it. Amidst this vile act of violence and hate will emerge a moment of national unity, where Australians across the board will embrace their fellow Australians of Jewish faith.
At least 16 people were killed in the incident
Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday night confirmed the incident was an act of terrorism and anti-Semitism
‘At this dark moment for our nation, our police and security agencies are working to determine anyone associated with this outrage. Our agencies will provide you with factual updates as quickly as possible as they continue to emerge.’
The praise for first responders has been unanimous from leaders across Australia, but some witnesses have questioned why police did not have systems in place to respond to an attack such as this far more swiftly than what unfolded, especially after the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing attack.
It has also since been admitted by Australia’s domestic security intelligence agency, ASIO, that one of the shooters was on their radar.
‘One of these individuals was known to us, but not in an immediate threat perspective,’ ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said.
‘So obviously we need to look into what happened.’
How the attack unfolded
Two gunman arrived at Campbell Parade on the edge of Bondi Beach and exited their vehicle. A black ISIS-style flag was seen draped over the hood of the car.
Video footage showed them making their way to a pedestrian footbridge and opening fire towards a grassy area known as Archer Park.
A community festival celebrating Hanukkah was being held in that vicinity. The Chanukah by the Sea event was a family-focused gathering to celebrate the first day of the eight day Jewish Festival of Lights.
Two armed men in black are shown firing rifles near Bondi Pavilion
Naveed Akram, 24, armed with a rifle at Bondi Beach
Naveed Akram was shot by police and is in custody
Naveed Akram is from Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s southwest
Beachgoers run for their lives
Witnesses reported hearing loud bangs and seeing people injured and bleeding.
People then began to realise what was happening and tried to get out of the area, leading to a rush of people cascading off the beach.
6:47pm Dozens of police cars and ambulances headed to Bondi Beach following reports of a mass shooting.
Mobile phones began to light up as people checked on their family and friends at Bondi Beach.
Worried posts appeared on the popular Bondi Local Loop Facebook group asking what was happening at Bondi.
7.05pm: NSW Police issued an urgent warning for people in Bondi to take shelter. All other members of the public were told to stay away from the area.
Emergency workers are seen attending to an injured person as crowds struggle to process the shooting
People fleeing Bondi Beach
Gunman disarmed and taken down
About 7.20pm: One of the gunman moved off the footbridge and along a cement sidewalk that runs between the car park and Archer Park where the festival was being held.
He was rushed by a member of the public who crouched behind a car to sneak up on the gunman before grabbing his weapon and turning it back on him. The civilian has since been widely hailed as a hero. A second bystander was believed to have assisted him.
After the attacker has been disarmed, police swooped. The two gunmen were shot. One would later be confirmed dead, and the other hospitalised.
7.30pm: Footage showed two men lying on their stomachs on the footbridge and not moving as they were handcuffed by police. Bystanders could be seen screaming at them.
7:43pm: NSW Police confirmed two people have been apprehended.
8:35pm: NSW Ambulance said 16 patients were in hospital.
8.45pm: NSW Police confirmed 10 people had died, including one of the shooters. The other shooter is hospitalised in a critical condition. This number is later updated to 12.
9pm: NSW Police established an exclusion zone around the scene. It confirmed that officers were investigating several suspicious items.
These were later confirmed as improvised explosive devices (IEDs) located in the shooters’ car. A massive police presence remained in the area with officers going from vehicle to vehicle in the car park searching for more devices and a potential third gunman.
The hero is seen after successfully disarming the gunmen
Officers working at the scene to attempt to get the situation under control
Police conduct raids
It is confirmed police were conducting raids around Sydney linked to the shooting, suggesting there could have been existing intelligence on the men.
9.20pm: Police raided the home of one of the gunmen in Bonnyrigg.
9.30pm: He was identified as 24-year-old Naveed Akram.
10pm: NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, confirmed 29 people were in hospital in a ‘range of conditions’.
10.15pm: Albanese condemned the attack as an ‘act of evil anti-Semitism’ and ‘terrorism’.
About 11.30pm: Two people were arrested at Bonnyrigg.
Around the same time police said they have secured Bondi, contained the IEDs and there was no further threat. The area remains a crime scene.
The Bonnyrigg home of Naveed Akram has been raided by police
People could be seen gathering near Naveed Akram’s home in Bonnyrigg
Police search the home of Naveed Akram in Bonnyrigg
Emergency crews load a patient into an ambulance at Bondi
Questions raised about the police response
One witness Grace Matthews heard the shots as she walked to the Chanukah by the Sea event. She sheltered in a nearby church.
‘One of my friends was at the festival (and) he said the police were just very underprepared to respond to this kind of a threat,’ Ms Matthews told the ABC.
‘So that was why it required a member of the public, like a civilian, to neutralise one of the threats.
‘There should never be a situation where a member of the public – or even a plainclothes policeman – is in a shootout with an active gunman.
‘There’s a police station less than a block from where the shooting was happening … it’s beyond my understanding as to why it took so long to handle.’
Commissioner Lanyon has defended the response of NSW Police and said he was ‘incredibly proud’ of the way the tragedy was handled.
‘They have done a fantastic job, and unfortunately, after the Westfield Bondi Junction attack, we have learned a lot and tonight ambulance and police and other responders acted promptly and professionally to do a great job.’
Specialist officers have been called to the scene at Bondi Beach
A festival, Chanukah by the Sea, was taking place when the gunmen opened fire
A member fo the public leaves Bondi on Sunday night with her young child in an emergency blanket
The fallout
ASIO’s director-general has said his agency will examine how someone on an apparent watchlist had been able to carry out such an attack.
How the two gunman were able to obtain the high-powered weapons remains a burning question.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has declared there will be a ‘massive and complex’ investigation.
‘This is just beginning investigation. And there are things that tonight we don’t have the answers to.
‘However, we do have answers to some crucial pieces of information for our wonderful city and our beautiful state.
‘The first one is the outpouring of love and support from ordinary Australians, for Australia’s Jewish community is real.
‘Secondly, today is another example of the enormous pressure and responsibility the danger that NSW Police regularly face as part of their job. They do it without faltering. They didn’t falter. Today we need them.
‘And thirdly, tonight acts of personal courage and bravery from individuals in our community. And I think it’s worth remembering that in all of this there are still wonderful, brave Australians that are prepared to risk their lives to help a complete stranger,’ he said.
The victims
Two of the victims have been identified.
Alex Kleytman tragically died while saving his wife of five decades, she told the Daily Mail.
Alex Kleytman (left) tragically died while saving his wife of five decades, she told the Daily Mail
Married for five decades, grandmother Larisa Kleytman and her husband came from Matraville, a suburb of Sydney, to celebrate Hanukkah with other Jewish people.
‘I think he was shot because he raised himself up to protect me, in the back of the head,’ she said.
Mrs Kleytman and her husband came to Australia from Ukraine and have two children and 11 grandchildren.
A rabbi who promoted the ‘Hanukkah by the Sea’ event at Sydney‘s Bondi Beach which was another targeted by terrorists and is among the 16 dead in the attack.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who had recently celebrated the birth of his son, was among those shot when gunmen opened fire into the crowd on Sunday evening.
Several sources within the Bondi Jewish community confirmed the father of five was a victim. His wife Chaya is also believed to have been injured in the attack.
Some of their children were with the couple at the event but are understood to have escaped without physical injury.
Mr Schlanger (right) was a well-known leader in the Bondi Jewish community
‘Eli was a wonderful man, a wonderful community person,’ Rabbi Schlanger’s brother-in-law Mendel Kastel told the Daily Mail on Sunday night.
‘He had a positive effect on so many people and was a true leader. He was a prison chaplain. He will be so missed.’