Australia: One of the two gunmen in the Bondi Beach ‘terrorist’ attack has been identified as Naveed Akram. A horrifying tragedy killed 12 and injured 29 others at Sydney’s Hanukkah holiday on Sunday.
Akram is a man from the city’s southwest, according to a senior law enforcement official, ABC News reported. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Akram’s house in the suburb of Bonnyrigg was raided by police on Sunday evening.
According to NSW Police, one of the two gunmen was killed at the scene, while the other was critically injured and taken into custody. At this time, reports have not confirmed which of the two is Akram.
A picture of Akram surfaced on social media.
Image of Bondi Beach shooter goes viral on social media. (Source: X)
According to ABC News, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said one of the shooters was known to authorities; however, “the person we know has very, very little knowledge for the police”. “So he’s not someone we’d automatically look at at this point,” he said.
Read also | Chilling video of the shooting on Sydney’s Bondi Beach shows the ground covered in blood
The Albanian reacts
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was upset by the “terrorist attack”, stating: “This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, (…) An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian.”
Israel criticizes the Australian government
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar expressed shock at the shooting on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, linking it to an increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Australia over the past two years, according to Reuters.
He suggested that the outcome of the violence was influenced by repeated anti-Semitic and provocative slogans such as “Globalise the Intifada” that were circulated and carried out in the attack.
“The Australian government, which has received countless warning signs, needs to come to its senses,” Saar said.
Read also | Bondi Beach shooting LIVE: Gunman identified as Naveed Akram
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the Jews who lit the first Hanukkah candle on the beach were targeted by “despicable terrorists”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused the Australian government of contributing to anti-Semitism ahead of Sunday’s shooting at a Jewish holiday in Sydney that left 11 dead, according to AFP.
“I wrote to the Australian prime minister three months ago that your policies are adding fuel to the fire of anti-Semitism,” he said, referring to a letter he sent to Anthony Albanese in August after Canberra announced it would recognize Palestinian statehood.
“Anti-Semitism is a cancer that spreads when leaders remain silent and do not act,” Netanyahu added during a televised public address at an event in southern Israel.
Meanwhile, the United States, India, New Zealand, Great Britain and others condemned the deadly shooting that took place.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called X and said: “Anti-Semitism has no place in this world. We pray for the victims of this horrific attack, the Jewish community and the people of Australia.”
The attack comes almost 11 years after a lone gunman held 18 people hostage at Sydney’s Lindt Cafe, where two hostages and the gunman were killed after a 16-hour standoff.
