{"id":180,"date":"2025-12-14T14:52:45","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T14:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/luxuury.net\/?p=180"},"modified":"2025-12-14T14:52:45","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T14:52:45","slug":"act-of-terror-12-dead-and-29-injured-after-mass-shooting-during-hanukkah-party-at-bondi-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/luxuury.net\/?p=180","title":{"rendered":"Act of Terror: 12 dead and 29 injured after mass shooting during Hanukkah party at Bondi Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"

At least 12 people have died after two men opened fire at a popular\u00a0beach destination<\/a>\u00a0in Sydney,\u00a0Australia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At least 29 people were also injured in the terror attack on Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach, at about 6.45pm.<\/p>\n

One of the two gunmen was also killed, while the other was injured and remains in critical condition.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Eli Schlanger, the assistant rabbi at the Chabad of Bondi, was among those killed, people who knew him told\u00a0Metro<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Today is the first day of\u00a0Hanukkah<\/a>, or Chanukah, an eight-day Jewish festival of lights.<\/p>\n

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Unverified footage shared on X appears to show two people holding firearms (Picture: X)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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One of the gunmen has been named by a police insider (Picture: MATRIXNEWS FOR DAILYMAIL AUSTRALIA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Some injured were taken away from the scene on surfboards (Picture: AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Hanukkah event was\u00a0scheduled to take place at a playground on the northern end of the beach, near where the shooting took place.<\/p>\n

What happened?<\/h2>\n

Two men dressed in black emerged from a small silver hatchback parked at a car park on the northern arch of the crescent-shaped beach.<\/p>\n

Armed with a shotgun and a rifle, the men walked to a footbridge overlooking the area and opened fire, witnesses said.<\/p>\n

At the time, a\u00a0family-friendly \u2018Chanukah by the Sea\u2019\u00a0<\/a>celebration organised by the local Jewish organisation Chabad of Bondi was taking place.<\/p>\n

The shooting happened moments before the candles of a menorah were to be lit.<\/p>\n

Families took cover behind wooden benches, while blood-soaked beach-goers were filmed fleeing the scene.<\/p>\n

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\"Armed<\/div>
Armed police are at the scene (Picture: AFP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The beach has been deserted (Picture: AFP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bystander Ahmed al Ahm\u00a0was filmed wresting a firearm<\/a>, believed to be a pump-action shotgun, from a man.<\/p>\n

ABC<\/a>, Australia\u2019s public broadcaster, citing a senior police official, named one of the alleged gunmen as Naveed Akram.<\/p>\n

Police have raided Akram\u2019s home in Bonnyrigg, a suburb west of Sydney, the insider added. Akram was injured during the shooting.<\/p>\n

State police commissioner Mal Lanyon said that the gunman who was killed was known to the force.<\/p>\n

He said: \u2018That does not mean there was any specific threat posed by that person.\u2019<\/p>\n

A car with \u2018improvised explosives\u2019 was found after the shooting on Campbell Parade. A rescue bomb disposal unit is on the scene.<\/p>\n

Father and \u2018dedicated religious leader\u2019 among the dead<\/h2>\n

Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor, was among the dead, his wife told\u00a0The Australian<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Larisa Kleytman said she and Alex were celebrating on the beach when shots rang out.<\/p>\n

She said: \u2018At this moment, he was behind me and at one moment, he decided to go close to me. He pushed his body up because he wanted to stay near me.\u2019<\/p>\n

Rabbi Benjamin Elton, chief minister of Sydney\u2019s Great Synagogue, told\u00a0Metro\u00a0<\/strong>that he worked with Rabbi Schlenger.<\/p>\n

The \u2018very dedicated religious leader\u2019 was helping to organise the Bondi Beach Chanukah event.<\/p>\n

\u2018My children go to school with members of his family. Just a very hard-working, dedicated, committed rabbi and family man,\u2019 said Rabbi Elton.<\/p>\n

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\"BONDI<\/div>
Rabbi Eli Schlanger (right) (Picture: Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The rabbi described how \u2018hundreds\u2019 of people may have been at the Hanukkah celebration when the shooting unfolded.<\/p>\n

He added: \u2018The highlight was going to be a candle lighting of a large menorah at about 6.45pm, about the time the attack took place, so that everyone could begin the festival in a very warm, connected, communal spirit.\u2019<\/p>\n

Since the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel, 367 antisemitic incidents have happened in New South Wales,\u00a0police said earlier this year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018Last year was an all-time high, this year was only second to that,\u2019 said Rabbi Elton, describing how synagogues have been bombed, Jewish day cares vandalised and cars set on fire.<\/p>\n

\u2018The turn of \u201924 to \u201925 seemed a low point in the horrific nature of the antisemitic attacks. But of course, today, with 11 innocent people murdered, this is really an unprecedented low.<\/p>\n

\u2018Everyone\u2019s going to be in profound shock and deep distress, and there\u2019s going to be an awful lot of rebuilding and communal comfort, mutual comfort.\u2019<\/p>\n

Arsen Ostrovsky, a writer for\u00a0The Jerusalem Post<\/a>, was among those wounded, the newspaper reported.<\/p>\n

The head of the Australia\/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council Sydney office is receiving treatment at a hospital.<\/p>\n

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Where is Bondi Beach?<\/h2>\n
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Bondi Beach is a crescent of sand that stretches about half a mile along Sydney\u2019s east coast.<\/p>\n

Bondi, pronounced \u2018bon-dye\u2019, was named after an Aboriginal word meaning \u2018sound of the waves breaking on the beach\u2019.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s long been one of the country\u2019s most popular tourist destinations \u2013 880,000 domestic visitors\u00a0swung by every day in 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bondi is one of Australia\u2019s most well-known beaches (Picture: Metro)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Known for its blue waters, the beach is popular with surfers and home to one of the world\u2019s oldest surf lifesaving clubs.<\/p>\n

Bondi has been the setting of countless films, TV shows and music videos, including Modern Family.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Moment knifeman pretends to be victim after stabbing woman eight times in her home<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The force added that no similar incidents happened at Dover Heights, about one mile north of the beach.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: \u2018My thoughts are with every person affected.\u2019<\/p>\n

New South Wales premier Chris Minns said: \u2018This attack was designed to target Sydney\u2019s Jewish community on the first day of Hanukah.<\/p>\n

\u2018What should have been a night of peace and joy celebrated in that community in families and supporters has been shattered by this horrifying, evil attack.\u2019<\/p>\n

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the \u2018antisemitic terrorist attack\u2019 on X.<\/p>\n

He added that officials are working with the CST, a Jewish security organisation, on policing Hanukkah\u00a0events.<\/p>\n

The Metropolitan Police said security will be increased in London.<\/p>\n

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Are guns legal in Australia?<\/h2>\n
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Australia has one of the world\u2019s lowest gun-related death rates, in part due to the country\u2019s strict laws on firearms.<\/p>\n

Mass shootings are rare in Australia, with just one occurring since 1996.<\/p>\n

The National Firearms Agreement came into force in response to the massacre in Port Arthur, which saw 35 killed by Martin Bryant.<\/p>\n

The act made gun ownership a privilege, rather than a right. Mandatory licensing, background checks, and stringent rules for firearm storage and use were rolled out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In a statement, CST said: \u2018Chanukah is a Jewish festival that celebrates light and religious freedom and it is abhorrent that such violence was directed at a moment of communal joy.\u2019<\/p>\n

Robert Gregory, CEO of the Australian Jewish Association, said the attack comes after Jewish groups raised concerns about antisemitism to officials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At least 12 people have died after two men opened fire at a popular\u00a0beach destination\u00a0in Sydney,\u00a0Australia. At least<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/luxuury.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/luxuury.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/luxuury.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxuury.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxuury.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=180"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/luxuury.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":182,"href":"https:\/\/luxuury.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180\/revisions\/182"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxuury.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/luxuury.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxuury.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/luxuury.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}