Australian Police Reveal the Perpetrators of the Bondi Mass Shooting Were Father and Son

JAKARTA - Australian police on Monday said the two gunmen who attacked a Jewish celebration on Sydney's Bondi Beach and killed 15 people, the worst gun violence in nearly 30 years, were father and son.

The father (50) was killed at the scene, while his son (24) was in critical condition in hospital, police said at a news conference on Monday, Reuters reported (54/12)

Eyewitnesses said the attack on the popular beach, which was crowded on a hot evening, lasted about 10 minutes, causing hundreds of people to scatter along the sand and into nearby streets and parks.

Australian police said about 1,000 people had attended the Hanukkah event.

Forty people are still being treated in hospital after the attack, including two police officers who are in a serious but stable condition, police said.

The shooting victim is said to be in the age range of 10 to 87 years old.

Authorities said they believed only two attackers were involved in the incident after previously saying they were checking if a third perpetrator was involved.

Police investigations are ongoing and the number of police has been increased in Jewish communities.

A bystander caught on video apprehending and disarming an armed man during the attack has been hailed as a hero whose actions saved lives.

Local officials described Sunday's shooting as a targeted anti-Semitic attack.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who visited the scene on Monday, called the attack a "dark moment for our nation."

PM Albanese also said police and security agencies were thoroughly investigating the motive behind the attack.

"What we saw yesterday was pure criminal action, an act of anti-Semitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location," PM Albanese said.

"The Jewish community is hurt today. Today, all Australians embrace them and say, we are with you. We will do whatever it takes to eradicate anti-Semitism. It is a scourge, and we will eradicate it together," said PM Albanese.

He added that a number of world leaders including US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron had contacted him and he thanked them for their solidarity.

In Bondi, hundreds of police remained on the scene on Monday as the main suburban road remained closed, having been declared a crime scene.

Sunday's shooting is the most serious of a series of anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars in Australia since the start of the Israeli war in Gaza in October 2023.

Australia's Jewish diaspora is small but highly integrated into the wider community, with around 150,000 people identifying as Jewish in this country of 27 million. Around a third of them are estimated to live in Sydney's eastern suburbs, including Bondi.