Australian police said that they will not be commenting yet on the motive behind the terror attack allegedly committed by a father and son duo.
According to New South Wales Police, the death toll of the terrorist attack on a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday has risen to 16. A total of 42 people were hospitalised or received care elsewhere, two of whom have since died. Included among the dead are a 10-year-old girl and an 87-year-old, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Five people remain in critical condition, and four police officers are in serious condition after sustaining gunshot wounds.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon disclosed that the two suspected shooters were a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, who is said to be in police custody after being critically injured. The father was killed at the scene.
Police have so far refused to disclose any information about their ethnicity or nationality. Lanyon also said that police will not be disclosing any information as to the motive for the attack for now.
“We’re still very early in the investigation, we’re happy to provide information,” Lanyon said. “I want to give our investigators the opportunity to investigate thoroughly without speculation. We heard a lot information was coming forward. I want to make sure it’s accurate… our investigation will be thorough.”
The police chief did disclose that the 50-year-old man had a license for a firearm for approximately 10 years despite Australia’s strict gun control laws. Lanyon also said that police were aware of the 24-year-old suspected shooter, but did not have any indication that he was planning an attack.
It has also been reported that police have raided a residence tied to the two suspects in the Sydney suburb of Campsie. It is unclear how long the pair have lived at the property, which is believed to have been an Airbnb.
At a press conference, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the attack at the Bondi beach Hanukkah celebration as an “act of pure evil”.
“This was an attack deliberately targeted at the Jewish community,” he said.
Albanese has faced criticism for refusing to comment on whether the attack was inspired by radical Islam.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, “We all know what it is. We all know the Jewish community is under attack.”
Current Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu accused Albanese of having poured fuel on the “fire of antisemitism” in Australia by backing Palestinian statehood in September.
U.S. President Trump denounced the “antisemitic attack” in Sydney while urging Jewish Americans to “be proud of who you are – celebrate proudly” during Hanukkah.
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