Maui the Bernese Mountain dog became the subject of a huge social media campaign after she was seen panic-stricken at the scene of the Bondi Beach Hanukah massacre
Panicking Maui was eventually reunited with her living owner(Image: X)
A Bondi Beach victim killed in the horror antisemitic attack by father-and-son gunmen was joined in his last moments by his faithful dog, who refused to leave his side.
Heartbreaking new footage has captured the moment a Bernese Mountain dog stood over the body of his dead owner following the attack on Sunday during which two men opened fire on a group celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukah. At least 16 people – including one of the gunmen who was shot by police – died in the horror massacre which continues to reverberate around Australia and the rest of the world.
Devastating footage taken at the scene shows Maui the Bernese panicking at the scene as gunshots run over the terrified animal’s head, but refusing to leave her owner’s side.
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Maui the dog was spotted at the scene of the Bondi Beach shooting(Image: Sky news)
Videos showing Maui standing outside the crowd as one of the gunmen stands nearby wielding a long weapon started circulating on Monday, prompting a social media bid by Anne-Marie Curry, the founder of Arthur and Co Pet Detectives, to have the dog reunited with its owners.
It has since been confirmed that Maui’s owner was killed in the attack, although they have not yet been identified. However it is believed he was walking with his wife and their other dog, a small white poodle, when the gunmen opened fire.
Ms Curry confirmed Maui is now safe and has been returned to the victim’s wife, who survived the attack, thanks to extraordinary work from the local community, with “lost and found” online groups pitching in to help find the dog. She told news.com.au: “The dog is now with the victim’s wife.”
Up to 16 people are believed to have died following the shooting(Image: COURTESY OF TIMOTHY BRANT-COLES/)
“There is footage of Maui standing over a number of victims after her own parent was shot. She was right in the line of fire.” A Facebook user claiming to be a friend of Maui’s owner also paid tribute to the deceased shooting victim in a comment under the update.
They said: “Our friend was Maui’s dad who was killed. She adored her dad, and my heart breaks for her. Thank you to whoever it was who caught her and got her home.”
They added: “He was such a lovely guy. A really gentle soul.” The video is one of several making the rounds online since the December 14 shooting, with new angles on the incident also showing the gunmen locked in a firefight with police before they were apprehended.
Australia and the rest of the world continue to mourn the victims of the Hanukah shooting(Image: AP)
The shooting, an act of terrorism, was carried out by father-and-son duo Sajid and Naveed Akram, aged 50 and 24, who killed at least 15 people, among them Holocaust survivor Alexander Kleytman, London-born rabbi Eli Schlanger, Dan Elkayam, a French national, businessman Reuven Morrison, retired police officer Peter Meagher and a 10-year-old girl named Matilda.
A further 42 people were taken to hospital after the attack, including shooter Naveed, who remains in critical condition after he joined his father – who was killed by police – when carrying out what police believe was an ISIS-inspired shooting.
New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon alleged the pair had recently travelled to the Philippines, which was confirmed by Manila officials. He went on to claim IEDs and two homemade IS flags were recovered from a car registered to Naveed found parked at the scene of the Hanukah festival shooting.
Of the two dozen people taken to hospital, five are in a critical but stable condition, and a further 15 in stable non-critical condition. Two police officers are in serious but stable condition.