Bondi Beach Shooting: 16 Dead, Including 50-Year-Old Suspected Shooter
Updated at 3:25 p.m. EST on Dec. 14, 2025: New South Wales Premier Chris Minns revealed that the wounded individuals range from ages 10 to 87, and mentioned that legislative actions regarding gun reforms will be considered.
The mass shooting at Bondi Beach, which Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned as “an attack deliberately targeted at the Jewish community,” has resulted in a tragic loss of life.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon announced that the suspects are a father-son duo, aged 50 and 24. The elder suspect is dead, while the younger remains critically injured. The father held a gun license for a decade.
Authorities confirmed only two individuals were involved, dispelling earlier rumors of a third suspect. Two police officers were injured and are in critical but stable condition.
Investigators also found two undetonated improvised explosive devices at the scene.
Updated at 3 p.m. EST on Dec. 14, 2025: The death toll has reached 16, with a child among those who succumbed to injuries at Sydney Children’s Hospital. The number of injured has risen to 40, including four children, according to NSW Health Minister Ryan Park.
During a Christmas event at the White House, President Donald Trump characterized the assault as “purely antisemitic.”
Original report:
A 24-year-old suspect named Naveed Akram has been identified by Australian authorities as one of the gunmen responsible for the attack at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, which is being treated as an act of terrorism targeting the Jewish community.
The shooting left 11 dead and 29 injured, with the death toll later increasing to 12 after police killed one of the attackers. The investigation continues as the other suspect remains hospitalized, as reported by The Telegraph.
Footage aired by Sky News captured two men, clad in black, firing rifles from a pedestrian bridge near a parking area around 6:40 p.m. Sunday.
One gunman was intercepted by a bystander but managed to flee, retrieve another weapon, and resume shooting.
Ahmed Al-Ahmed, the bystander, was identified by 7 News Australia as a local shop owner who intervened by grabbing a rifle from one of the shooters.
Police later uncovered an improvised explosive device in a vehicle associated with the deceased suspect, and acknowledged prior awareness of one offender.
This attack took place during a Hanukkah event attended by families at the beach.
Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff, involved in organizing the event, was injured. His father, Yossi Lazaroff, requested prayers for his son, stating that Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was working with Leibel, was killed. “Please say Psalms 20 & 21 for my son, Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff, who was shot in a terrorist attack at a Chanukah event he was running for Chabad of Bondi in Sydney, Australia. The Chabad Rabbi he was working with Rabbi Eli Schlanger was killed. Praying for all the victims and their families,” he shared on X.
Among the victims was a Holocaust survivor, whose wife, Larisa Kleytman, recounted that her husband, Alex, was fatally shot while shielding her. The couple had emigrated from Ukraine and were present at the celebration.
Prime Minister Albanese described it as “an act of evil antisemitism” and noted its profound impact on the nation in an official statement on X.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the violence, expressing solidarity with the victims, stating, “Antisemitism has no place in this world. Our prayers are with the victims of this horrific attack, the Jewish community, and the people of Australia.”
This situation is evolving, and additional information may emerge as authorities continue their investigation.
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
