At least 12 people were killed — including a gunman — and 29 others wounded when two terrorists opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration in a “cowardly” attack on an Australian beach late Sunday afternoon.
Shots erupted at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach at around 6:45 p.m. when a large crowd gathered to celebrate the first night of the Jewish holiday in an event called “Chanukah by the Sea 2025.”
“This cowardly act of terrified violence is shocking and painful to see and represents some of our worst fears about terrorism in Sydney,” New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said at a press conference Sunday night.
“This attack was designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah,” he said. “What should’ve been a night of peace and joy celebrated in that community with families and supporters has been shattered by this horrifying evil attack.”
Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. AP
Thousands of beachgoers fled as the gunfire rang out over the crowded beach.
The gunmen, wearing dark shirts with one wearing white pants, perched themselves on a pedestrian bridge that overlooked Bondi Park and a road surrounding the area near the iconic coast.
The crowd was gathering near the park’s playground for the festive celebration that started at 5 p.m. local time before the pair launched their attack.
Two gunmen dressed in black firing multiple shots on a bridge at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 14, 2025. COURTESY OF TIMOTHY BRANT-COLES/UGC/AFP via Getty Images
One of the suspected gunmen was killed at the scene while the other was taken into custody in critical condition, officials said.
Narveed Akram, a man from Sydney’s Bonnyrigg neighborhood, was identified as one of the gunmen, ABC reported, citing an anonymous senior police source. Officials reportedly raided Akram’s house after the shooting.
Police said that one of the gunmen was on Australia’s Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) watchlist but wasn’t deemed “an immediate threat.”
Witnesses said the shooting happened on the beach where a Hanukkah celebration was held. AP
Police said there was no active threat but cautioned people to stay away from the area as they work to disarm several improvised explosive device or IED, ABC reported.
The devices were found scattered in the area of the shooting and inside the car of the suspected terrorists.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the “vile” attack as a “dark moment of the nation.”
“This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith,” Albanese said at a press conference in Canberra.
“An act of evil antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation,” he said. “An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian, and every Australian tonight will be, like me, devastated on this attack on our way of life.
“There is no place for this hate, violence and terrorism in our nation. Let me be clear, we will eradicate it,” Albanese added. “Amidst this vile act of violence and hate, will emerge a moment of national unity, where Australians across the board will embrace their fellow Australians of Jewish Faith.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the tragedy a “cruel attack on Jews.”
“Our sisters and brothers in Sydney have been attacked by vile terrorists in a very cruel attack on Jews who went to light the first candle of Hanukkah Bondi Beach,” Herzog said, according to the Times of Israel.
“If we were targeted deliberately in this way, it’s something of a scale that none of us could have ever fathomed. It’s a horrific thing,” Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told Sky News, adding his media adviser had been wounded in the attack.
“I saw at least 10 people on the ground and blood everywhere,” witness Harry Wilson told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Video posted on social media captured a man sneaking behind cars before tackling one of the gunmen, ripping the firearm out of his grasp and aiming at the suspect as he crawled away.
“Tonight saw strong acts of personal courage and bravery from individuals in our community, and I think its worth remembering that within all of this evil, in all of this sadness, there are still wonderful, brave Australians that are prepared to risk their lives to help a complete stranger,” Minns said.
Sunday’s attack is the deadliest shooting in Australia since April 1996, when 35 people were killed and 23 others were wounded during a shooting in Port Arthur, Tasmania
With Post wires