Sydney – Happy families with children on the beach, people swimming in the ocean, music, games, and treats. Two thousand people gathered yesterday afternoon at Australia's famous Bondi Beach to celebrate the start of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
The Jewish family celebration"Hanukkah by the Sea" began at 5 p.m. Less than two hours later, it ended in boundless horror.
Father and son shot at crowd
Two armed men suddenly jumped out of a car, ran up a pedestrian bridge, and began shooting precisely into the crowd in Archer Park, right next to the children's playground. They were a father (50) and son (24), as the police later stated.
At 6:47 p.m., the police received emergency calls: Dozens of shots, panic, people on the ground, including children.
Images of the terrorist attack shock the world
Within minutes, footage of the massacre in Australia was circulating around the world. BBC TV journalist Danny Clayton witnessed the terror on the beach. He heard the gunshots and watched as “panic broke out.” “There were two gunmen, and they were shooting at a group of people,” he said in an interview.
The 24-year-old stayed on the pedestrian bridge, while his father ran to the park with a pump-action shotgun. Then something incredible happened: Fruit vendor Ahmed al Ahmed (43) hid behind a car when he saw the attacker.
The family man Ahmed al Ahmed (two children) disarmed the terrorist and forced him to flee back onto the pedestrian bridge.
Shortly afterwards, the hero of Bondi Beach was also hit by projectiles from the attackers. His cousin Mustafa explained: “He is in the hospital. But we have heard that he will survive.”
The act is reminiscent of the Hamas attack of 2023.
Human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky was at the Hanukkah celebration when he was shot in the head. Covered in blood, he sent a photo via WhatsApp. With a bandage on his head, he told 9NEWS after the terrorist attack: “I was at the Hanukkah celebration with my family; there were hundreds of people there, including children, elderly people, and families enjoying themselves. Then suddenly there was absolute chaos. It was a bloodbath. It was an absolute massacre.”
And then he said what so many were thinking: "It felt like a scene from the Nova Festival. I never imagined I would encounter this horror in Australia."
Ostrovsky was referring to the mass murder perpetrated by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, in Israel, when he called the"Nova Festival." On that day, the electronic music festival turned into a battlefield: 364 people were killed in the Negev Desert, and 44 others were taken hostage. In total, the terrorists murdered 1,182 people in the attack.
The attacker wore a cartridge belt
During the terrorist attack, the younger attacker was photographed and filmed. The footage shows the murderer's focused gaze and the cartridge belt around his hips. He is Naveed Akram, a 24-year-old Pakistani.
His father owned the weapons legally. The 50-year-old died from police gunfire on the pedestrian bridge; his son was seriously injured. His condition is now said to be critical but stable.
A bomb was later found in the perpetrators' car, it was reported. The home of the father and son in Bonnyrigg was searched. According to media reports, the family has owned the building for ten years.
16 people die, 40 are injured
Sixteen people (aged 10 to 87) died in the terrorist attack, the Health Ministry confirmed overnight. Among them, besides the attacker, is British Rabbi Eli Schlanger. Alex Kleytman reportedly died while trying to protect his wife. A 10-year-old girl and two police officers are also among the dead. According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, at least one of the victims is Israeli.
At least 40 more people were injured. The New South Wales Police Commissioner, Mal Lanyon, said the death toll could still change due to the large number of injured.
