Gunmen Kill Eleven and Wound Twenty-Nine at Bondi Beach in Australia

What Happened?

A pair of masked gunmen attacked festival goers at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, killing at least eleven and wounding twenty-nine. The festival was in celebration of the first day of Hanukkah, raising suspicions that the attackers targeted the festival goers because of their Jewish heritage. One of the gunmen was killed by police, and the other was shot but remains hospitalized, and two local police officers were also wounded in the exchange of gunfire.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting was ‘an act of evil antisemitism, terrorism, that has struck the heart of our nation.’

Why it Matters

The Bondi Beach attack was the worst terrorist attack on Australian soil since the Port Arthur attack in 1996. Australia has strict gun control laws, many of which were enacted after the Port Arthur attack. Worldwide, the number of violent incidents against Jewish people has increased since the beginning of the Gaza War in 2023. 

With two gunmen involved in the attack at Bondi Beach, the likelihood of a larger plot remains a possibility. Single shooters or lone wolf-style attacks are typically carried out by one individual who acted on their own, but multiple shooters can often mean the attack was planned by a larger organization. Sydney police have not commented on the specifics of the attackers’ motives yet, other than to say they believe it was a terrorist attack against primarily Jewish festival goers.

Another factor that was different in this attack is that a bystander apparently tackled one of the gunmen and managed to wrestle his weapon away from him. If true, the actions of the bystander probably saved lives since the gunman was unable to continue his attack after that. In active shooter situations, it is rare that bystander actions stop an attack, though there have been a few incidents where that happened.

Thus far, no terrorist group or organizations have claimed responsibility for the Bondi Beach attack. Many terrorist groups now rely on more of an inspirational model, where they use the internet to spread their hate and ideology, hoping to inspire others to carry out acts of violence on their behalf. Those types of attacks are much harder to predict or interdict because there is no direct communication between the organization and the attackers.

Once the identity of the attackers is known, police will likely conduct a thorough background check on each one to determine if they had any contact with terrorist organizations.

How it Affects You

Since Hanukkah is celebrated in many places around the world, law enforcement agencies in many major cities worldwide have increased security measures to help protect festivities or festival goers in other locations for the remainder of Hanukkah. Some locations are also putting additional security in place around synagogues as well.