Sydney: The death toll from a shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday has risen to 16, with a father and son identified as the attackers, police said Monday. Police in the state of New South Wales (NSW) confirmed the fatalities after the tragic event.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, a police statement revealed that 14 individuals died at the scene, while two others succumbed to their injuries in the hospital. The ages of the deceased range from 10 to 87 years, and one of the attackers is among the dead.
Additionally, 40 people were receiving treatment in hospitals for their injuries as of Monday morning, with five individuals in critical condition. NSW Police Force Commissioner Mal Lanyon disclosed in a press conference that the alleged shooters were a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son. The older man, who died at the scene, was a licensed firearm holder with six legally possessed guns.
The shooting unfolded around 6:47 p.m. local time on Sunday when the two men opened fire on a crowd of at least 1,000 people gathered at the beach for an event celebrating the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. Commissioner Lanyon, who declared the incident a terrorist attack on Sunday night, stated that investigations into the motives behind the attack are ongoing.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack as an act of "pure evil" and assured that the country would take all necessary measures to combat antisemitism. He emphasized, "It is a scourge, and we'll eradicate it together."
This incident marks Australia's most deadly mass shooting since 35 people were killed at Port Arthur in Tasmania in 1996, which led to significant changes in the nation's gun ownership laws.