Australia is mourning after a devastating terrorist attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach killed 15 people, including children, in what authorities have called the deadliest antisemitic attack in the nation's history.
The attack occurred on December 14 when two gunmen, identified as father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram, opened fire on the annual "Chanukah by the Sea" celebration organized by Chabad, which had drawn approximately 1,000 attendees to Archer Park near the Bondi Pavilion.
According to police, the attackers first threw pipe bombs and a tennis ball bomb into the crowd from a footbridge, though these devices failed to detonate. They then began shooting into the crowd, killing 15 people and injuring 42 others, with a dozen victims remaining in critical condition.
Among the victims were Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, a 39-year-old father of four who served as general manager at Chabad of Bondi, and Alexander Kleytman, an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor whose wife said he was shot while raising himself up to protect her.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared the attack a "targeted attack against Jewish Australians" and an act of terrorism, stating "An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian." The Australian Federal Police confirmed the attackers were motivated by Islamic State ideology.
The 50-year-old father was killed during the attack, while his 24-year-old Australian-born son was shot and wounded, and is now in custody. Police are investigating a recent trip the suspects took to the Philippines, home to several Islamist insurgent groups.
December 21 was declared a Day of Reflection, and the Sydney Opera House lit its landmark wings with a menorah in solidarity with the Jewish community.
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