Australian authorities said that the Bondi Beach mass shooting that killed 15 people during a Hanukkah celebration was “a terrorist attack inspired by the Islamic State”. Officials have identified the suspects as a father and son aged 50 and 24. The older man was shot dead, whereas his son was being treated in hospital on Tuesday, as reported by the Associated Press.
The suspected attackers “appeared to have no regard for the age or ableness of their victims” and that “it appears the alleged killers were interested only in quest for a death tally,” Federal police commissioner Krissy Barret said, according to the Associated Press.
Police cite ISIS flags, explosive devices and overseas travel
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the investigators assessment about the attack was based on evidence that has been gathered, including “the presence of Islamic State flags in the vehicle has been seized,” AP reported. New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon mentioned that the suspects travelled to the Philippines last month on Indian passports, and investigators would investigate the reason and the locations of the trip. Lanyon has confirmed to AP that the vehicle registered to the younger suspect carried improvised explosive devices. He further added that, “I also confirm that it contained two homemade ISIS flags.”
As per the latest update, 25 people are in hospital, 10 in critical condition, including three children. The dead ranged in age from 10 to 87, and among the injured is a bystander seen in the video tackling and disarming one suspect.
Sydney pays tribute as leaders demand tougher gun rules
Dozens of people lined up early Tuesday at Bondi Beach to pay tributes, as growing memorial flowers were established near the Bondi Pavilion. Australia’s ambassador to the United Nations, James Larsen, mentioned, “ An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian and our way of life,” as reported by Reuters.
Gun laws are also under fresh scrutiny. Albanese and some state leaders pledged stricter rules, whereas Home Affairs Minister Tony Bluke stated, “It is clear now that those laws need to be brought back up to date”.