Australia: attack on community event kills 12

At least twelve people have been killed in a shooting on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.

At least 29 other people were injured, including two police officers. One of the shooters is dead and a second suspect is in critical condition, police said.

Prime Minister Chris Minns (head of local government) said the attack was “planned to target Sydney’s Jewish community”.

What should have been a “night of peace and joy” was “shattered” by a “horrific and evil attack”, he said.

Video footage appears to show two suspected gunmen, both dressed in black, shooting towards Bondi Beach from a bridge. Several gunshots can be heard, with police sirens in the background.

The attack happened in a busy area on the northern part of Bondi Beach.

Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said there would be a “significant investigation” by the counter-terrorism unit.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the scenes in Bondi as “shocking and distressing”.

A witness who spoke to the BBC described fleeing with her children from a Hanukkah event, a Jewish holiday, which was being held on the beach when the attack began.

At least 200 people attended the event, which included music and various activities.

The event took place in a grassy area behind the beach, near a walkway that people could use to get to the beach – and which the shooters apparently used as an observation point.

There was a metal barrier set up around the event, and people had to enter and exit through a gate with what appeared to be a bag search, but security seemed minimal overall.

Deadliest attack since 1996

This attack became the deadliest in this country since that of Port Arthur.

In 1996, 35 people were killed and dozens injured when a lone gunman opened fire at a historic site in Tasmania.

The attack marked a turning point, prompting the government to introduce some of the strictest gun control measures in the world.

There was a gun buyback program and increased checks on gun owners, and attacks decreased dramatically.

Since then, there have been only a few mass shootings, mostly acts of domestic violence – not attacks in public places like today.