Police said the shooting, which injured at least 28 people, had targeted the Jewish community. A gunman was also killed; another suspect was injured.
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11 shot dead in attack on Hanukkah event at Australia’s Bondi Beach
One of the gunmen was killed, and another suspected shooter was critically injured, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said during a news conference Sunday evening. Two police officers were among the injured, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said. Officials are investigating the possibility of a third gunman, Lanyon said.
Police said earlier that a “number of suspicious items located in the vicinity” were also being examined.
Chabad of Bondi, the organization that was hosting the event on the beach, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The group’s building was guarded by private security.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting was “beyond comprehension.”
In a news conference, he called the shooting “an act of evil antisemitism, terrorism, that has struck the heart of our nation.”
It occurred on what should have been a “day of joy, a celebration of faith,” Albanese said.
What would typically be a busy early summer evening, with drum circles on the sand, was instead bathed in police and ambulance lights and sirens.
Arthur Arnold, 26, was at his apartment nearby around 7 p.m. when he said he heard gunshots “left and right.”[/read]