A Hanukkah menorah is projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, on Monday.
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What we are addressing
• Casualties increase: At least 15 individuals have died and 27 are hospitalized following a shooting that occurred yesterday at Bondi Beach in Sydney. The incident, labeled a terrorist attack, aimed at Jewish Australians and represents the nation’s most severe mass shooting in nearly three decades.
• The victims: The deceased ranged in age from 10 to 87. A Holocaust survivor was among the victims who died while protecting his wife from gunfire. A bystander, recovering in the hospital after disarming one attacker, has been named Ahmed al Ahmed, the child of Syrian refugees.
• The individuals involved: The father-son pair were recognized as 50-year-old Sajid Akram, who relocated to the nation in 1998 and lost his life in the shooting, and 24-year-old Naveed Akram, who was born in Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the suspects were “motivated by ideology,” mentioning that they were questioned by security services in 2019 but “were not affiliated with a broader group.”
• Firearm regulations: Albanese revealed Australia’s intentions to enhance its stringent gun regulations with updated measures that will limit who can obtain a license.
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It’s the early hours of Tuesday morning in Sydney, and we are tracking the latest developments on the Bondi Beach shooting as the city begins to wake up.
For those just joining us, here’s what we’ve been covering on the terror attack today:
Victims named: The identities of some of those who were killed in Sunday’s attack have been released. Among the 15 killed are a 10-year-old girl named Matilda and a Holocaust survivor, as well as two rabbis and at least two foreign nationals.
Injured in hospital: At least 27 people are in hospitals following the attack, including a police officer who is in serious but stable condition and a bystander who wrestled a gun from one of the alleged attackers. Ahmed al Ahmed was described as a “real-life hero” by New South Wales Premier Chris Minns.
The suspects: A 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son have been named by Australian media as the suspected perpetrators of the attack. Sajid Akram, the father, was killed at the scene, while Naveed Akram is in custody. Australian authorities believe suspects “weren’t part of a wider cell,” helping them to evade detection, though they were interviewed by security services in 2019, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told public broadcaster ABC.
The reaction: Tributes to those impacted by the shooting have come from around the world. People have left flowers and candles at a memorial near the site of the shooting, while money has been raised for the victims and their families. Pope Leo also called for an end to antisemitic violence in a post on X.
CNN’s Helen Regan, Kunal Seghal, Issy Ronald, Sandi Sidhu, Todd Symons, Lex Harvey and Billy Stockwell contributed to this reporting.
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