Nepal UK
Sydney - At least 15 people have been killed in a terror attack on Bondi Beach, in eastern Sydney, on Sunday, police said.
Two men - a father and son - opened fire as more than a thousand people gathered to mark the first day of Jewish festival Hanukkah at the tourist hotspot on Sunday evening, with video from the scene showing people running for their lives.
One of the attackers, a 50-year-old man, was shot dead by police, reports said.
Police said the father was a licensed firearms holder for the past 10 years, and six licensed guns had been recovered from the scene and searches at addresses in the Sydney suburbs of Bonnyrigg and Campsie.
His son, who has been identified as 24-year-old Naveed Akram, suffered critical injuries and was taken to hospital under police guard.
Police said 14 people died at the scene, with another 42, including four children, taken to hospitals across the city. A 10-year-old girl and a 40-year-old man later died in hospital.
PM Albanese condemns the attack
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned the terror attack as "an act of pure evil" and a "dark day in our nation's history".
"What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location, Bondi Beach, that is associated with joy, associated with families gathering, associated with celebrations. And it is forever tarnished by what has occurred last evening," he said.
"The Jewish community are hurting today. Today, all Australians wrap arms around them. And so we stand with you. We will do whatever is necessary to stamp out antisemitism. It is a scourge and we will eradicate it together."
Health authorities in New South Wales said 27 patients are receiving care in hospitals across Sydney as of 17:00 local time (06:00 GMT) on Monday 15 December.
At least six remain in a critical condition, with others "critical but stable", and others stable, BBC News reported.
‘The shooting demands moral clarity’
London-based Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said his cousin and his cousin's wife spent "15 terrifying minutes hiding under a doughnut stand as terrorists were shooting at them and those around them" on Bondi Beach.
"Once again, Jews were targeted for the simple act of gathering together, visibly and peacefully, as Jews," he said in his Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4.
"On Hanukkah, Jews around the world declare: we are here, we belong, and we will not hide who we are."
This period in the aftermath of the shooting "demands moral clarity", he said.
"Jews have lived with security concerns for as long as I can remember, but the fact that today every public Jewish gathering must be weighed for risk is a sign of something deeply wrong.
"A society in which a minority must calculate whether it is safe to be seen together in public, is a society that is failing all of its citizens,” the Chief Rabbi said.
