SYDNEY: Australia's leaders agreed to toughen gun laws after attackers killed 15 people at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach, the worst mass shooting in decades, decried as antisemitic "terrorism" by authorities. Dozens fled the tourist hotspot in panic as a father and son fired into crowds packing the Sydney beach for the start of Hanukkah on Sunday evening.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a meeting of the leaders of Australia's states and territories in response on Monday, agreeing with them "to strengthen gun laws across the nation". Albanese's office said they had agreed to look into ways to improve background checks for firearm owners, non-nationals from obtaining gun licences and limit the types of weapons that are legal.
Mass shootings have been rare in Australia since a lone gunman killed 35 people in the tourist town of Port Arthur in 1996, which led to sweeping reforms that were long seen as a gold standard worldwide. Those included a gun buyback scheme, a national firearms register and a crackdown on the ownership of semi-automatic weapons. But Sunday's shootings have raised fresh questions on how the father and son — who public broadcaster ABC reported had possible links to the Islamic State group — obtained the weapons. Albanese called it "an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores".
World leaders expressed revulsion, with US President Donald Trump condemning the attack. The gunmen opened fire on an annual celebration that drew more than 1,000 people to the beach to mark the Jewish festival. They took aim from a raised boardwalk looking over the beach, packed with swimmers cooling off on the steamy summer evening.
Carrying long-barrelled guns, they peppered the beach with bullets for 10 minutes before police shot and killed the 50-year-old father. The 24-year-old son was arrested and remains under guard in hospital with serious injuries. Hours after the shooting, police found a homemade bomb in a car parked close to the beach, saying the "improvised explosive device" had likely been planted by the pair.
Wary of reprisals, police have so far avoided questions about the attackers' religion or ideological motivations. Misinformation spread quickly online in the wake of the attacks, some of it targeting immigrants and the Muslim community. Police said they responded to reports on Monday of several pig heads left at a Muslim cemetery in southwestern Sydney.
A brave few dashed towards the beach as the shooting unfolded, wading through fleeing crowds to rescue children, treat the injured and confront the gunmen. Footage showed one man, identified by local media as fruit seller Ahmed al Ahmed, grabbing one of the gunmen as he fired. The 43-year-old wrestled the gun out of the attacker's hands before pointing the weapon at him as he backed away.
A team of off-duty lifeguards sprinted across the sand to drag children to safety. "The team ran out under fire to try and clear children from the playground while the gunmen were firing," said Steven Pearce from Surf Life Saving New South Wales. Bleeding victims were carried across the beach atop surfboards turned into makeshift stretchers.
A grassy hill overlooking Bondi Beach was strewn with discarded items from people fleeing the killing, including a camping table and blankets. People gathered flip-flops, sneakers and thermos flasks and lined them up in the sand for collection. — AFP
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