Key posts
What we know so far
If you’re just tuning in to our rolling coverage, here’s what you need to know:
- Fifteen people were killed and as many as 42 others were hospitalised after Sajid Akram and his son Naveed opened fire on a crowd at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach on Sunday evening.
- Naveed Akram, 24, suffered critical injuries and is under police guard in hospital. Sajid Akram, 50, was shot by police and died at the scene.
- Sajid legally owned six firearms and belonged to a recreational gun club. He and his son lived in suburban Sydney.
- Ten-year-old Matilda was the youngest victim of the terror attack. Rabbi and father-of-five Eli Schlanger, 41, French national Dan Elkayam, in his 20s, Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, businessman Reuven Morrison, and former police officer Peter Meagher are among the dead. Two police officers, a constable and probationary constable, sustained gunshot wounds. They are both in a serious but stable condition.
- Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Director-General Mike Burgess last night said one of the attackers was known to his organisation before the shooting “but not in an immediate threat perspective”. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has since confirmed that Naveed Akram came to the attention of ASIO in October 2019.
- Burke also confirmed that Sajid Akram arrived in Australia on a student visa in 1998, which was transferred to a partner visa in 2001, and he has been on a resident return visa ever since. Naveed Akram is an Australian citizen born here in 2001.
- Police today raided a Campsie address, believed to be a short-term rental property where the father and son had been staying.
- Police also raided a home in Bonnyrigg, made two arrests and seized six firearms from the property.
- Authorities have declared the attack a terrorist incident. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns vowed to fight antisemitism in the community.
- Australian and international leaders continue to condemn the shooting, including US President Donald Trump.
- Albanese said he would use a national cabinet meeting this afternoon to push for better uniformity of gun laws across federal, state and territory governments.
Flowers and tributes outside the Bondi Pavilion. Credit: Louise Kennerley
A family mourns at North Bondi.Credit: Jessica Hromas
Bondi Beach shooting an attack on modern Australia: Spender
By Jack Gramenz
Wentworth MP Allegra Spender says the profound and awful mass shooting at Bondi Beach, targeting the Jewish community, is an attack on modern Australia.
Spender told Nine News the federal government should have done more in response to a report from Australia’s special envoy to combat antisemitism Jillian Segal, but acknowledged it was unclear whether doing so would have prevented the attack.
Member for Wentworth Allegra Spender near the crime scene at Bondi Beach following the mass shooting.Credit: KATE GERAGHTY
Spender said an attack on a religious group goes against the values of modern Australia.
“Yesterday we had terrorists trying to divide our country by attacking a religious group in this country, saying you are not safe here, and that is an attack on all Australians and all of our Australian values,” Spender said.
“The government should have and could have done more over time, they have taken missteps in relation to antisemitism, and collectively we as a country need to step out of our complacency in regard to our social cohesion.”
“I haven’t been to a synagogue or Jewish school for years without going through heavy security,” she added.
“This is how the Australian community, Jewish community, has lived, And I think collectively we need to say it is not acceptable that part of our community is trapped like this because of their security threats.”
‘He lit up any room’: Niece pays tribute to Rabbi Eli Schlanger
By Emily Kowal
Bondi Beach used to be Dassi Kastel’s safe place. The golden sanctuary she pictured while hiding in bomb shelters in Israel during the October 7 Hamas attack.
It was the place she celebrated Jewish holidays with her family. That safe place is now gone.
Now, it will forever be the place her beloved uncle, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, was murdered.
“Now there is a stain. I can’t imagine going back to that beach,” she said.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed during the Bondi Beach terror attack.
Kastel, the niece of the rabbi and father of five, wants the world to know him for the light he was.
“He lit up any room he was in … no one was beneath him. He made sure everyone was on his level. Every single person he met, he treated them like they were family,” said Kastel.
“He looked at you and he wanted to know you. He wanted to connect – that’s what his mission was, bringing people to light.
“Hanukkah is the festival of lights and that’s exactly what he was.”
The festival, she explained, is based on miracles. But now, “there are no miracles to be seen,” she said.
“He was too young. It is monstrous this could happen in our home. I can’t fathom this is happening in Australia of all places.”
Update: 27 people remain in hospital
There are still 27 patients receiving care across several Sydney hospitals. Here is the latest from NSW Health:
- Three patients are in a stable condition at Prince of Wales Hospital.
- One patient is in a critical but stable condition, and two patients are in a stable condition at St George Hospital.
- Three patients are in a stable condition at Sydney Eye Hospital.
- Three patients are in a critical condition and two patients are in a critical but stable condition at St Vincent’s Hospital.
- Three patients are in a critical condition, two patients are in a critical but stable condition and one patient is stable at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
- Two patients are in a stable condition at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick.
- One patient is in a critical but stable condition and two patients are in a stable condition at Royal North Shore Hospital.
- Two patients are in a stable condition at Liverpool Hospital.
New Year’s Eve event at Bondi to be assessed
By David Barwell
Organisers of the upcoming Bondi New Year’s Eve event are weighing up options about whether the ticketed festival will proceed following yesterday’s terror attack.
The event was the first time a large-scale New Year’s Eve was due to be held at the beach in more than a decade, with a crowd of about 15,000 expected to descend on the beach for the festivities.
Fuzzy Operations had been contracted by Waverley Council to run the event.
“Our hearts are with everyone affected by the tragedy at Bondi Beach. What happened has deeply shaken our community and all who call this place home,” a spokesman for the company said in a statement.
“We will continue to work closely with NSW Police, Waverley Council and community leaders in the coming days.
“Right now, the focus is on compassion and care for Sydney’s Jewish community and all those impacted, allowing NSW Police to further progress their investigations.”
Bondi community pays tribute to victims of attack
Hundreds of people continue to pay tribute to the victims of the Bondi Beach attack, with flowers and messages being left at a community vigil.
Flowers and flags have been left near Bondi Pavilion.Credit: Steven Siewert
People gather at the Bondi Beach vigil for victims of the attack.Credit: Steven Siewert
Firearms registry on agenda as national cabinet meets
The NSW police commissioner and AFP commissioner are currently briefing the national cabinet after Sunday’s terror attack in Bondi.
In his opening address, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the key focus was taking a stand against antisemitism and tightening Australian gun laws.
“I think we all regret the circumstances of this meeting of the national cabinet. The antisemitic terrorism incident in Bondi, I think, has shaken the whole nation, not just people in Sydney and NSW, in particular, members of the Jewish community have been devastated by what is an unprecedented scale of attack on the Australian way of life,” Albanese said.
“I thank the police and emergency services, the people, particularly in NSW, but our national security agencies, including the AFP as well, for the work that has been conducted over the last 20 hours or so.
“Today, I met with the premier of NSW, and we made a declaration after being briefed by the NSW police commissioner, who has joined us here today. And we also had a visit down to Bondi. There is quite horrific scenes there and people are really hurting.
“What they’re looking for is confidence going forward. And today’s meeting is about making sure that we have states and territories aligned here, making sure we send a message as well to Jewish Australians that we stand together against antisemitism, giving a message to all Australians that we stand against terrorism and that we will do whatever it is that we can, if laws need to be adjusted, to make changes.
“One of the suggestions that will be on the agenda today is to have an examination of our gun laws to make sure that if there is any tightening or changes which are required, that we put in place mechanisms. Through this national cabinet we, of course, have established the National Firearms Register. That is a significant step forward, and I know that work is progressing on that, but we need to, I think, accelerate the work in that area.”
Sydney rolls up its sleeves in the aftermath of horror
By Siena Fagan and Ellie Busby
From people waiting hours to donate blood to sharing food and a growing mountain of flowers – in the wake of the Bondi shooting, Sydneysiders have shown their true nature.
As a community struggles to come to terms with the events of yesterday, people from across the state have come together to make vital blood donations for the victims.
At the Town Hall Lifeblood centre, queues stretched outside the building by 9.30am.
“We are taking as much as we can,” centre manager Edgar Parica said.
Blood donors queue up outside the Town Hall Lifeblood centre.Credit: Steven Siewert
Donors were waiting three hours without wavering, befriending fellow queue-members and bringing books to pass the time. One man arrived at lunchtime with a bag filled with McDonald’s hash browns, handing them out to those waiting in the sun.
The centre is booked ahead for days, but it is still encouraging Sydneysiders to walk in and give blood if they can. A spokeswoman for Lifeblood said the need for blood, particularly O-negative, was ongoing.
People from across Sydney have come together to donate blood.Credit: Steven Siewert
Community and volunteers support staff at St Vincent’s
By Angus Thomson
Jam doughnuts, kosher snacks, and sandwiches. These are some of the gifts brought by visitors to St Vincent’s Hospital in Darlinghurst on a sombre second day of Hanukkah.
A large hanukkiah stands in the foyer at St Vincent’s Hospital.
Inside, a memorial table is filled with laurels and electric candles. A large hanukkiah (the nine-pronged candelabra lit every night of Hanukkah) stands in the foyer. Behind it, staff are re-stocking a cupboard with kosher pantry items.
Volunteers hand out the doughnuts to patients and visitors passing by.
Six patients from the Bondi attack are in a critical condition, three of whom are stable.
The attack has put enormous strain on the hospital’s medical staff. It has also hit close to home. Many of these gifts are provided by volunteers from the charity Jewish House. Its chief executive, Rabbi Mendel Kastel, witnessed the attack and lost extended family members in it.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was among the 15 people killed last night, was also an accredited chaplain offering comfort to patients here for years.
People deliver boxes of food to St Vincent’s Hospital.Credit: Janie Barrett
Rabbi leads prayers at Bondi
By Max Maddison
Rabbi Yossi Friedman, who has been in Bondi praying since early this morning, has asked the hundreds of mourners there to join him in prayer.
Surrounding the flowers laid outside Bondi Pavilion, the crowd began singing Yiddish prayers and then the national anthem with Friedman.
The number of mourners has ebbed and flowed throughout the day, but it has been growing as we approach the end of the work day.
“We will continue to be equals in the light,” Friedman says.
Next to flowers and police tape, Rabbi Yossi Friedman (right) talks with a group of women at the northern end of Bondi Beach.Credit: Kate Geraghty
Melbourne Hanukkah event to go ahead
By Nicole Precel
City of Melbourne has confirmed the Pillars of Light Festival will go ahead at Federation Square tonight.
The week-long celebration of Hanukkah will include live performances, with an Instagram post from the council saying it stood with Sydney.
“Our hearts are with the people of Sydney, Bondi and the Jewish community following Sunday’s tragic events,” the statement reads.
“Violence and hatred have no place in Australia. Hanukkah reminds us that even in the darkest times, light endures – and our community will endure too.”
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