It was a night that promised to bring 'joy and light' to Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach as crowds of Jewish families gathered at a park to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. They were among thousands of others at Australia’s famous beach on a scorching summer afternoon.
However, as the Hanukkah event commenced at 5:00 PM local time and the first free donuts were served, screams burst forth amid gunfire. The initial alert to police occurred at 6:47 PM, just as two gunmen initiated their attack, which resulted in 15 fatalities and many wounded.
Witness Chavi, a local teacher, recounted dropping to the ground to shield her baby as 'bullets were flying above us'. Barry, another attendee, described the chaos of people fleeing from what became a nightmare scenario.
A verified video captures the scene where upbeat festival music plays in the background while shots are fired, merging joy with horror in stark contrast. Panic quickly spread from the park to the sand as beachgoers sprinted from the unfolding violence. Sounds of ambulances and screams filled the air as chaos erupted.
Eyewitness footage reveals further dimensions of the tragedy, showing the gunmen attacking and panic spreading among the crowd. The gunmen, identified as Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, reportedly used a pedestrian bridge to launch their attack before fleeing to the beach.
When a bystander managed to attempt disarming one of the gunmen, the situation quickly reverted to violence as the assailant returned to shooting at civilians.
Sajid Akram was found dead at the scene, while Naveed was critically injured. Investigations continue into the firearms used in the attack and the backgrounds of the perpetrators, as the local community grapples with the aftermath of a celebration turned tragedy.
However, as the Hanukkah event commenced at 5:00 PM local time and the first free donuts were served, screams burst forth amid gunfire. The initial alert to police occurred at 6:47 PM, just as two gunmen initiated their attack, which resulted in 15 fatalities and many wounded.
Witness Chavi, a local teacher, recounted dropping to the ground to shield her baby as 'bullets were flying above us'. Barry, another attendee, described the chaos of people fleeing from what became a nightmare scenario.
A verified video captures the scene where upbeat festival music plays in the background while shots are fired, merging joy with horror in stark contrast. Panic quickly spread from the park to the sand as beachgoers sprinted from the unfolding violence. Sounds of ambulances and screams filled the air as chaos erupted.
Eyewitness footage reveals further dimensions of the tragedy, showing the gunmen attacking and panic spreading among the crowd. The gunmen, identified as Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, reportedly used a pedestrian bridge to launch their attack before fleeing to the beach.
When a bystander managed to attempt disarming one of the gunmen, the situation quickly reverted to violence as the assailant returned to shooting at civilians.
Sajid Akram was found dead at the scene, while Naveed was critically injured. Investigations continue into the firearms used in the attack and the backgrounds of the perpetrators, as the local community grapples with the aftermath of a celebration turned tragedy.
