At least 11 people were killed and 29 others wounded in an antisemitic terror attack in Sydney on Wednesday after terrorists opened fire on participants in a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.
Australian police said explosive devices were found at the scene, and a raid was carried out on the home of one of the terrorists who survived the attack.
Drone footage from the Bondi Beach terror attack
Investigators confirmed that one of the terrorists was identified as Naveed Akram, a 24-year-old Sydney resident. Police raided his home shortly after the attack and detained two people in the area. By midday, authorities said they were examining the possibility that a third terrorist was involved in the assault.
Several explosive devices were discovered beneath the bridge from which the terrorists fired at the crowd and inside the vehicle believed to have been used to reach the scene. Police bomb disposal units neutralized the devices, officials said.
The shooting took place during a ‘Hanukkah by the Sea’ event organized by Chabad near Bondi Park, attended by around 2,000 members of the Jewish community, including many families and children. The gunfire erupted during a speech by a community leader, triggering panic and chaos as people fled along the beach.
A civilian takes down one of the shooters
Among those killed were Chabad emissary Eli Schlanger and a student at a local Jewish school. Videos from the scene showed victims lying on the ground, a bloodstained tallit and civilians assisting police in subduing two of the attackers. One of the terrorists was resuscitated at the scene.
Witnesses described scenes of terror. “There was massive panic. This is a Chabad event for families, mostly with young children,” a member of the Jewish community told a local outlet. “Australians are not used to this kind of violence.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined criticism of the Australian government following the terror attack. “Antisemitism is a cancer that spreads when leaders remain silent,” he said. President Isaac Herzog said Jews in Sydney had been attacked “by vile terrorists in a very cruel assault on people who came to light the first candle of Hanukkah,” and urged Australia to act decisively against rising antisemitism.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the shooting as “a black day for all of Australia, an evil that cannot be understood,” while New South Wales police urged the public to avoid the area as the investigation continues.
In Israel, assessments have intensified that Iran may be behind the attack, amid growing concern over global antisemitic terror networks.
The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to determine the full scope of the attack and whether additional suspects remain at large.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Australia must take “significant action” against antisemitism following the deadly terror attack targeting a Jewish Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, according to a statement released by the Foreign Ministry.
Speaking with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Saar expressed “sorrow and pain, on behalf of the people of Israel, over the murderous antisemitic attack in Sydney.”
Saar said antisemitism in Australia has sharply increased since October 7, pointing to chants against the Israeli military, the burning of Israeli flags and marches marked by what he described as overt expressions of hatred toward Jews.
One of the victims
(Video: NEWS9)
He told Wong that security for Australia’s Jewish community “can only be achieved through a real change in the public atmosphere.”
Saar said slogans such as “Globalize the Intifada,” “From the River to the Sea,” and calls for violence against the Israel Defense Forces are “illegitimate” and “not part of free speech,” warning that such rhetoric “ultimately leads to the kind of violence witnessed today.” He directly linked those slogans to the attack at Bondi Beach.
Australia has seen large-scale protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza in recent months and formally recognized the State of Palestine in September, alongside several other Western nations. The move drew sharp criticism from the Israeli government.
Meanwhile, leaders of Australia’s Jewish community confirmed that a 12-year-old girl and Chabad Emissary Rabbi Eli Schlanger were among those killed in the shooting.
Alexander Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told CNN that the attack struck at the heart of a close-knit community. Ryvchin said he attends the Hanukkah celebration every year with his family and had been scheduled to speak at the event, as he has for the past decade, but withdrew at the last moment due to scheduling conflicts.
“One of the kindest and most beautiful human beings I have ever known,” Ryvchin said of the rabbi who was killed.
He added that a close friend lost his 12-year-old daughter, who died of her wounds in the hospital.
“This is the gem of our year. It is usually a joyous day,” Ryvchin said. “The fact that people planned this, acquired weapons, came knowing there would be children, elderly people and families gathered peacefully, and slaughtered them in cold blood is something that will change our country forever.”