Australia prepared for funerals Wednesday for some of the 15 victims of an antisemitic mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, an attack that police said was inspired by the Islamic State group.
Horrific Attack at Bondi Beach
The victims ranged in age from 10 to 87 years old. Twenty-two people remained hospitalized Wednesday, with six in critical condition.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday that the assessment of an Islamic State link was based on evidence, including “the presence of Islamic State flags in the vehicle that has been seized.”
Ahmed al Ahmed has been hailed as a hero after he was captured on video tackling and disarming one of the assailants, before pointing the man’s weapon at him and then setting it on the ground. Three other people who tried to stop the gunmen were shot and killed.
The shooting occurred as members of Australia’s Jewish community attended festivities at the country’s most famous beach Sunday. Boris and Sofia Gurman, a married couple, were identified Wednesday as the first killed when they tried to stop one of the shooters as he climbed from his car.
The suspects were a father and son, aged 50 and 24. The father, identified as Sajid Akram, was shot and killed. His son, who has not been formally named by authorities, was being treated at a hospital and emerged from a coma Tuesday, according to New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon.
Lanyon said investigators expect to speak to and charge the son Wednesday.
Calls for Stricter Gun Laws
Albanese and state leaders have pledged to tighten the country’s already strict gun laws, potentially enacting the most sweeping reforms since a 1996 mass shooting in Port Arthur, Tasmania. Mass shootings have been rare in Australia since then.
Public anger has grown in the three days since the attack, with questions raised about how the suspects were able to carry out the shooting and whether Australian Jews are sufficiently protected from rising antisemitism.
Albanese announced plans to further restrict access to guns, noting that the older suspect had legally amassed six weapons.
Investigation into Suspects’ Travel to the Philippines
Indian police said Tuesday that the older suspect was originally from Hyderabad and held an Indian passport. He married a woman of European origin and migrated to Australia in 1998, maintaining little contact with his family in India. Family members reported no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities.
Last month, the suspects traveled to the Philippines, Lanyon said. The investigation will focus on the purpose and destinations of their trip. A vehicle removed from the scene, registered to the younger suspect, contained improvised explosive devices and two homemade ISIS flags, according to Lanyon.
Philippine authorities confirmed Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram, 24, traveled to the country from Nov. 1 to Nov. 28, listing Davao as their final destination. Australian authorities have not confirmed the younger suspect’s name.
Groups of Muslim separatist militants in the southern Philippines, including Abu Sayyaf, have previously expressed support for IS and hosted foreign militants. However, Philippine military and police officials say there has been no recent indication of foreign militants in the region.
Heroism and Community Response
Albanese visited al Ahmed in the hospital Tuesday, where he said the 44-year-old Syrian-born Muslim shop owner was scheduled for further surgery for shotgun wounds to his left shoulder and upper body.
“It was a great honor to met Ahmed al Ahmed. He is a true Australian hero,” Albanese told reporters after a 30-minute meeting with him and his parents. “We are a brave country… We will not allow this country to be divided.”
Lifeguards at Bondi Beach have also been praised for their actions during the shooting. One duty lifeguard, Rory Davey, performed an ocean rescue after people fled into the sea. Another, Jackson Doolan, posted a photo of himself sprinting with a first aid kit toward the scene.
Record numbers of Australians have signed up to donate blood in the aftermath of the attack, with almost 1,300 first-time donors. Donation appointments at Lifeblood’s Bondi location are booked until Dec. 31.
Israeli Ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon visited the scene Tuesday and was welcomed by Jewish leaders.
Thousands have visited Bondi to pay their respects and lay flowers at an impromptu memorial site. Former Prime Minister John Howard, who oversaw the 1996 overhaul of gun laws, also visited the site.
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