“I thought I was going to die, they shot everything”

Sergio visited 17 countries before he was thirty, but he will never forget Sydney because was reborn after taking refuge in a supermarket, to avoid being shot by the two men who carried out a bloody anti-Semitic terrorist attack. “They shot everyone they saw,” Sergio told EL ESPAÑOL.

This twenty-year-old, born in Alcantarilla, graduated in social work and citizen of the world for some time because he refuses to live in Spain “earning 1,200 euros per month and sharing an apartment”, settled in Australia after a season of suffering from the Irish cold. Sergio had found his place, as a waiter in a restaurant overlooking the iconic Sydney Opera House, until this Sunday two armed men, father and son, decided to end Sergio’s life. 16 innocent people and 40 others injured.

“In the last few hours, many thoughts have come to my mind, especially that I need to spend more time with my family because what happened is very strong. I even considered leaving Australia.but I have been happy here for over a year and this country is one of the safest I have known until this attack.”

Sergio’s reflection on the other end of the phone, at 27, is due to that of a boy who thought he was risking his life during the coronavirus pandemic, when It was a positive monitoring tool to stop outbreaksbut this Sunday he learned that the COVID affair was just a joke, compared to the athlete’s career that he had to end in a supermarket to save his life.

“I heard what sounded like firecrackers and suddenly, an avalanche of people appeared running“.

“That’s when I realized that what I had just heard was four gunshots. and I started running to look for a place to take refuge. I didn’t know if it was a gang adjustment, if it was the police chasing a criminal or an armed mental patient. But the truth is that I didn’t think about a terrorist attack. »

Sergio went to the beach this Sunday Bondi Beach where the Jewish community celebrated the holiday of Hanukkah. “In Australia, it’s summer and I went with my friends to this beach to have a barbecue because it’s the typical place where people go to spend the day. There’s always a positive energy, a happy and quite surfer vibe.”

– Did you coincide with the Jewish community?

-Sergio: We were at a park, called Archer Park, which has a barbecue area and they were there for their celebration. There were a lot of Jewish families and I remember my friends and I talking about it.

Then, around four in the afternoon, I went to take a nap in the northern part of Bondi Beach because it’s a very safe place, you can leave your stuff in the sand and go for a swim because no one takes anything away from you.

Such statements indicate that the two men armed with rifles, identified by the Australian public broadcaster ABC, as well as Sajid Akram, 50, and his son, Naveed Akram, 24they were fully aware that everyone was unprepared.

Above all, the Jewish community which celebrated Hanukkah: the famous Festival of Lightsto commemorate the rebuilding of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The attackers wore black t-shirts and barricaded themselves on a bridge in the Bondi Beach car park and caused panic.

– What were you doing when the terrorist attack started?

-Sergio: I was going to go home after six in the afternoon because I was tired. But I was a little hungry and I walked along the beach promenade, looking for a supermarket, to buy some yogurt. I heard what sounded like firecrackers and suddenly there was an avalanche of people running. It was then that I realized that I had just heard four gunshots and I started running to look for a place to take shelter.

– Where did he hide?

– I was able to go to a supermarket, I think it was called Woolworths Metro Bondi Beach, where more than a hundred people found themselves between the warehouse and the fire escapes. People were crying and shaking. We didn’t know what was happening. No one knew how many armed people were shooting in the street. The sirens of helicopters and ambulances could be heard.

– What was going through your mind?

– There were people who tried to calm other people in difficulty. shockbut we spent thirty very exhausting minutes in there. I thought I was going to die. If someone with a gun came into the supermarket, we had no way out.

In the vicinity of the famous Bondi Beach They experienced scenes of terror and chaoswith hundreds of people trying to take shelter wherever they could, as if it were a stampede. Among the victims, as reported by Australian public broadcaster ABC, were Matilda, a 10-year-old girl; Eli Schlanger, a 41-year-old rabbi, or Alex Kleytman, an elderly Holocaust survivor.

-When did you leave the supermarket?

-Sergio: After half an hour, people no longer knew what to do and no shots were heard. I was able to open an emergency door of the supermarket and exit through a street at the back. I quickly went home and turned on the news to see what happened. When I found out it was a terrorist attack, I got chills just thinking about it.

My friends told me that there were people even entering the cold rooms of restaurants, trying to escape and hide.

-How did your family react in Spain?

– I sent them WhatsApp audios, telling them to stay calm, despite what they saw in the newspapers or on television. But my parents were worried.

This Monday, Sergio approached the improvised tribute installed at the Bondi Pavilion with an altar filled with flowers, in memory of the fatal victims. “They were people taking part in a family celebration,” he emphasized, apologetically. “No one deserves to die this way“.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claimed the attack targeted the “Australian Jewish community” and was motivated by anti-Semitic motives. ABC says the youngest shooter, Naveed Akram, 24, was under investigation in 2019 for links to an Islamic State terrorist cell. His father, Sajid Akram, 50, died after being shot by police.

– What was the atmosphere like in Sydney this Monday?

– People were silent on the bus, there were closed shops and many people were sad and crying. The city is in mourning.

Sergio had to get up, like everyone else, to face a very sad start to the week, covering his shift at the haute cuisine restaurant 6 Head Sydney where he works as a waiter, in love with his views of the imposing Opera House building.

“I came to Australia because I love its climate, its gastronomy, because of the love of sport, to continue improving my English and because of the salaries. I thought about leaving, but I stay here because I’m happy“.

This man in his twenties details that in a week, he can earn $1,200 working as a waiter with two days off, to which must be added monthly tips, or around $400. “I don’t see a stable future to return to in Spain.”

“I would only come back for my family because I miss them and we Spaniards know each other very well. Also, I haven’t met my nephew yet, the son my sister just had. But next Friday my twin brother will come to visit me, spend Christmas with me and that will give me the energy I need right now.”