Daughter and best friend narrowly avoided being caught up in it, heard all the gunfire when they were leaving.
A lot of her friends are still there and have videos of the shooters. 2 men dressed in black.
Just thanking her good fortune that she left when she did. Feels rather surreal
Hoping the outcome isn't horrific for those caught up in it, but I suspect it won't be great
Scary stuff. Glad to hear your daughter is safe.
Awful stuff, glad your lass is safe.
Same here - daughter is out there, and 2 of her friends left that beach just before it started.
Awful
I have many Aussie friends from my time out there. This is simple horrible.
I'm sure there are a couple of STW regulars already working on how they can blame it on their usual targets.
I checked in with a mate in Sydney, him and his family are OK but the school he teaches at takes a lot of kids from that area. 🙁
The footage is awful! Looks like it could have been a lot worse if a bloke hadn’t jumped on one of the gunmen and wrestled the gun off him. Takes balls like watermelons to do that!
Glad your daughter and her mate are ok!
The Sydney Morning Herald is an excellent newspaper and a reliable source. It is reporting 12 people killed. www.smh.com.au
For those unfamiliar with Sydney:
1) Bondi has historically had lots of Jewish residents - hence the Hannukah celebration was held in the park in front of the beach there.
https://www.australianjewishnews.com/74335-2/
2) Sydney has seen an upsurge in anti-Semitic attacks and actions in the last couple of years, including firebombings and graffiti. The marauding knifeman attack at the Bondi Junction shopping mall was not one of those incidents.
3) There is a bizarre organised crime aspect to some or all of these attacks. Tobacco smuggling and protection rackets are a huge problem; one of the leading racketeers, a young Syrian psycho, went on the run from Australia. He has reportedly been recruiting various idiots online to perform anti-Semitic attacks in Australia. There was also a bizarre "bomb caravan" plot, which now seems to have been fake. A criminal faked the plot recruited two drug-addled patsies, and then attempted to "sell" the plot to law enforcement and prosecutors to get out of his criminal charges.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/10/mob-faked-attack-on-australian-synagogue-police
5) There has been an uptick in white, Christian supremacists showing their faces and intimidating the public.
6) Australia is a small but strong supporter of Ukraine. It has provided military vehicles to Ukraine and last week took action to stop Russian oil being processed in India and sold into Australia. Anti-Semitic attacks have also been arranged in Australia by Iran.
Awful stuff.
I'm sure there are a couple of STW regulars already working on how they can blame it on their usual targets.
I’m sure there are trolls on here already casting aspersions in order to start… Oh, wait.
Life seems to be particularly grim at the moment. I just don’t know what say.
Absolutely horrendous. The poor people involved in that will be traumatised for life. Looks like the press have released plenty of images of the perpetrator(s). Sounds like another potential attack on a Jewish festival. That guy who jumped one of the gunmen from behind is an absolute hero.
That guy who jumped one of the gunmen from behind is an absolute hero.
Isn’t he just. Staggering selfless bravery.
I'm sure there are a couple of STW regulars already working on how they can blame it on their usual targets.
I knew from my daughter before the news broke that there was a Hannukah celebration happening on the beach.
I retained from commenting on the possible cause at the time as that wasn't the reason I posted.
That said and your baiting comment in mind, who would you like to blame - I'm pretty certain it wasn't the Bondi branch of the Women's Institute?
Unfortunately (and it shouldn't have to be this way) the brief to my daughter is to stay away from any Jewish gatherings over the festive period and beyond
'That said and your baiting comment in mind, who would you like to blame...'
You must have misread my comment, I didn't attempt to blame anyone.
Anyway, apologies, I disrupted the thread which I should not have done. I didn't comprehend the intended tone.
Very sad all round. But yes that person who wrestled the gunman. Just wow.
My daughter and her partner were on the beach this morning, went for a swim and sat having a picnic. Like an awful lot of people they took off once they realised it was gun fire and not fireworks from the party. They ran off the beach across a road where a bus driver had his doors opened and waited till the bus was full to the rafters before taking people away. Bus was full of barefooted people in shorts and bikinis.
They left everything but phone and door keys on the beach, she was pretty shaken up when they called us early this morning. They've had such a positive time since arriving there 4 weeks ago, its been very welcoming.
That guy who jumped one of the gunmen from behind is an absolute hero.
100%
Running up and disarming a guy holding a shotgun who is intent on murder is beyond brave. Big shout out to the other fella who followed him too - he also ran towards the danger.
Crazy world
Looks like it could have been a lot worse if a bloke hadn’t jumped on one of the gunmen and wrestled the gun off him.
Unfortunately the gunman somehow managed to get another gun and go back to shooting before being shit himself.
Amazingly heroic act by that guy .... In my head I was saying "shoot him in the leg" but that probs wouldn't have been such a good idea.
Very sad all round. But yes that person who wrestled the gunman. Just wow.
Whoever saves one life saves the world entire, a point on which both Jewish and Muslim scripture agree. Incredible bravery.
Tragic news, glad your familiy are safe Artist. The footage of the bloke tackling the gunman is just...unbelievable bravery
Amazingly heroic act by that guy .... In my head I was saying "shoot him in the leg" but that probs wouldn't have been such a good idea.
Absolute hero but yes, if he'd tried to use the weapon and (worst case) missed and the stray bullet had killed an innocent bystander, things could have been very confused and messy. Brave guy though, put himself right in the middle of it.
Reports from Australian media that the man who with immense bravery disarmed one of the shooters upon the Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney is a local shopkeeper called Ahmed al Ahmed.
One of the shooters has been identified as Naveed Akram from the south-west Sydney suburb Bonnyrigg.
No information on the second shooter yet, or if the shooter named is dead or alive. Several suspected IEDs have been removed from a car parked nearby as well.
I'm sure there are a couple of STW regulars already working on how they can blame it on their usual targets.
Netanyahu should be at the top of that list.
It appears that the man Ahmed Al Ahmed bravely disarmed had another weapon and Mr Al Ahmed was shot twice.
Cynical am I? Hopefully some one will take that chaps name and be positive about it.
Some people seem incapable of seperating a government from a religion.
I'm pretty sure the jewish get together, whatever it was, in (checks notes) Australia, has absolutley nothing to do with the atrocities happening in Israel and Palestine caused by the evil dictator in charge there. It's a handy excuse though -same as in the USA at the mo, so called 'christians' in government using god as a handy excuse to persecute anyone they don't like.
That said, Australia is a pretty deeply racist country if you are not white.
No information on the second shooter yet, or if the shooter named is dead or alive.
Shooters confirmed by NSW police as a 50 y/o male and 24 y/o male who are father and son. The father is dead, the son is critically injured. They are not looking for anyone else. Source.
Really encourage people to use local (Australian) media where it's excellent and in English:
What we know so far about the Bondi terror attack
Ugh.
https://bsky.app/profile/bencollins.bsky.social/post/3m7xvvwdmik2g
"Somebody invented a white guy, an "IT professional" named Edward Crabtree, who stopped the Bondi shooting and spread it all over the internet, which was picked up by AI agents and slop aggregation sites. The real hero [as mentioned above] is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed el Ahmed."
Really encourage people to use local (Australian) media where it's excellent and in English:
its high level jernalizm dude
Always amazes me when someone's assaulted, the news says "a man has been bashed".
Call me stupid if you like, but I don’t understand that image above… 🤷
It's showing that a Rabbi killed in the Bondi beach shooting had strong links to Israel and claimed to speak for "the Jewish people of Australia".
What are we suppose to take away from that being posted? I don't know.
Personally, I think this mass attack on Jews was abhorrent and antisemitic, and the views and words of one of the dead does not change or excuse that in any way. And nor do the actions of the far right government in Israel.
It appears that the man Ahmed Al Ahmed bravely disarmed had another weapon and Mr Al Ahmed was shot twice.
It was an incredible act of bravery to go in and take the man's rifle. But as much as I don't like to criticise someone with that level of positive citizenship - he really needed to finish what he started and incapacitate him while he had the upper hand.
You'd think that would be the obvious thing to do, and then maybe have a crack at the one on the bridge, but you're full of adrenaline, just wrestled a gun off a guy and then you have to decide in that moment whether to shoot and potentially kill him? I don't think anyone can judge how he reacted.
He also held the rifle up, possibly to indicate he wasn't one of the terrorists which would be a smart move as any armed police arriving would likely have shot him on sight, and I read he was then shot by the son on the bridge
Apologies for going off topic in this thread.
Always amazes me when someone's assaulted, the news says "a man has been bashed".
It's called the past exonerative tense. "A man was killed in a police involved shooting."
Most people's limbs in that situation would be like jelly with a not so insignificant amount of adrenaline pumping through them.
Fair play to the fella, a very brave and calculated decision to risk his life to try and prevent further bloodshed.
Personally, I think this mass attack on Jews was abhorrent and antisemitic, and the views and words of one of the dead does not change or excuse that in any way. And nor do the actions of the far right government in Israel.
I think all that is self-evident. What this example does show, however, is how prominent members of the Jewish community identify themselves with the IDF (the UK Chief rabbi does much the same) contributing to the perception that Jews in general are "the enemy" and mistakenly thinking that violence is a suitable response.
You'd think that would be the obvious thing to do, and then maybe have a crack at the one on the bridge, but you're full of adrenaline, just wrestled a gun off a guy and then you have to decide in that moment whether to shoot and potentially kill him? I don't think anyone can judge how he reacted.
Agree totally. Sitting on my warm sofa, I'd love to think that I'd "slot" the "perp" with a "double tap" to eliminate the threat. In the reality of having grabbed a shotgun off a gunman whose buddy is shooting people just feet away, and not knowing anything about guns (which is reportedly the case for the man in question), and not knowing if it's loaded or how it works...you've done well enough already. The guy can hardly be faulted.
JD Vance was, predictably, on Twitter last night saying it never would have happened if there had been enough good guys with guns on the beach. I'm usually a critic of the police, but what exactly are they supposed to do if they respond to a call like this and every Tom, Dick and Harry is waving guns at each other? How would any civilian know who are the good gunmen and who are the bad gunmen? WTAF would an officer be expected to do then?
I think Vance is a deeply cynical and dangerous person. I think it would be a disaster if Trump died in office - he would be succeeded by Vance, he is younger, more nihilistic and less delusional.
But as much as I don't like to criticise someone with that level of positive citizenship - he really needed to finish what he started and incapacitate him while he had the upper hand.
If you've never fired a weapon before though, it's one hell of a step to get an unfamiliar rifle in an incredibly fast-moving and adrenaline-fuelled situation, then actually aim straight and pull the trigger, knowing you're potentially about to kill someone.
Any aspect of screwing it up (like missing and the bullet hitting a civilian) or the weapon not being loaded / cocked or the guy trying to grab it back as your firing is going to be a disaster.
I've fired rifles in my cadet days. Could I point one at a human (even someone who is obviously a terrorist) and pull the trigger? I very much doubt it.
It's the main flaw of the American belief that all you need to deal with a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. You just end up in a confusing free for all gunfight and a load of innocent people caught in the crossfire.
Edit: cross posted with @politecameraaction above saying much the same thing.
JD Vance was, predictably, on Twitter last night saying it never would have happened if there had been enough good guys with guns on the beach
I read this a lot from Americans on Threads for the last couple of days. I've yet to hear of an instance where "good men" with guns have intervened to prevent harm by "bad men" with guns. I dread to think what the death toll would've been if there had been an amateur hour shoot-out
not to mention how many of the armed vigiliates would get shot by the police
The speculation is wild, he did enough.
I guess some people can't help but try to rationalise what they've seen with bravado and bullshit.
I'm glad he didn't shoot him. Fella is going to have enough to deal with psychologically without the mental imprint of a close-in shotgun wound.
No amount of back-patting and medals will bleach that image away.
If you've never fired a weapon before though, it's one hell of a step to get an unfamiliar rifle in an incredibly fast-moving and adrenaline-fuelled situation, then actually aim straight and pull the trigger, knowing you're potentially about to kill someone.
Any aspect of screwing it up (like missing and the bullet hitting a civilian) or the weapon not being loaded / cocked or the guy trying to grab it back as your firing is going to be a disaster.
I've fired rifles in my cadet days. Could I point one at a human (even someone who is obviously a terrorist) and pull the trigger? I very much doubt it.
Sadly I have aimed and fired (and hit) a firearm at another human. It's not something I'm proud of having done or something I'd wish on anyone having to experience.
But actually that's not what I was thinking......though clearly thinking is something it's easier to do in hindsight and not in the moment. I hope in that situation my brain would have have had enough ware with all if standing over a man on the ground with his rifle in my hand to use it as a bloody big heavy stick and bludgeoned the guy until he stopped moving.
Some people seem incapable of seperating a government from a religion.
That requires critical thinking, and those who commit these kinds of acts tend to severely lack in it. As we keep seeing.
JD Vance was, predictably, on Twitter last night saying it never would have happened if there had been enough good guys with guns on the beach
I read this a lot from Americans on Threads for the last couple of days. I've yet to hear of an instance where "good men" with guns have intervened to prevent harm by "bad men" with guns.
I was thinking exactly the same thing. The obvious question to little JD statement is "could you give us any examples of where that's ever actually happened?"
All you end up with is what modern America now is, where everyone is tooled up to the eyeballs and 15 people being shot and killed isn't even unusual.
It does happen very, very rarely. And you have to counterbalance that against the massive number of additional deaths caused by having the country swimming in guns. It's the "my auntie got thrown out of the car crash and survived so seat belts are dangerous" fallacy.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-50952443
A terrible terrible thing to have happened 🙁
2 people, mistakenly blaming all Jewish people for the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza, and in the state of Palestine in general.
But ironically, much of our right wing media, and far right politicians are running stories and comments blaming Islam, for the actions of these two murderers.
These two are not customer service spokesmen for Islam, just as Netanyahu's government are not spokesmen for Judaism.
We really need to look at our media, and even revoke press freedoms if it is being usurped for hateful purposes.
Pushing these narratives only makes things worse.
Well said.
2 people, mistakenly blaming all Jewish people for the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza, and in the state of Palestine in general.
But ironically, much of our right wing media, and far right politicians are running stories and comments blaming Islam, for the actions of these two murderers.
Do we know the killers’ motives yet, beyond the fact that the targets were Jewish?
We do know that one of the killers was investigated (and considered not to be a threat) for connections to IS.
Beyond that conjecture about the motives, and how they were influenced by world events is going to happen in the media, because it is now so “comment” led, rather than “news” led (and all the worse for it).
I daren’t even look at how the rolling news channels in the USA are covering this.
2 people, mistakenly blaming all Jewish people for the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza, and in the state of Palestine in general...We really need to look at our media, and even revoke press freedoms...
Hold on, hold on, hold on. We have no reliable information about these murderers' motivations, let alone any relationship between them and right wing media.
We do have plenty of information about what happens when governments censor and suppress media, especially in reaction to public outrage. It doesn't usually end well.
From the BBC:
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the two gunmen were acting alone and not part of a wider extremist cell.
"There's no evidence of collusion, no evidence that these people were part of a cell," he tells Australian broadcaster ABC, but they were "clearly" motivated by "extremist ideology."
Where is the "extremist ideology" coming from? Is it the same "extremist ideology" that has resulted in barricades and armed police at Christmas markets in Germany?
From the BBC:
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the two gunmen were acting alone and not part of a wider extremist cell.
"There's no evidence of collusion, no evidence that these people were part of a cell," he tells Australian broadcaster ABC, but they were "clearly" motivated by "extremist ideology."
Knowing how NSW Police, Australian Federal Police and ASIO work with each other, and their very cavalier attitude toward the truth and integrity in leadership...I'll want more than a vague allusion from Albo as reliable info on the murderers' motivations.
See above links and below for examples of anti-Semitic acts done for money, law enforcement infighting and political misrepresentation of the "caravan plot", and the ultimately non-religious and non-political motivations of the last terrorist siege in Sydney, even if they were shrouded in religious-political terms. The murderer there was a misogynist, a sexual assailant about to be brought to justice and a loser in life.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/07/karen-webb-resign-step-down-nsw-police-commissioner-ntwnfb - pay attention to the last 4 paragraphs
Monis was described by Abbott as having indicated a "political motivation,"but the eventual assessment was that the gunman was "a very unusual case—a rare mix of extremism, mental health problems and plain criminality."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindt_Cafe_siege
These two are not customer service spokesmen for Islam, just as Netanyahu's government are not spokesmen for Judaism.
Very true but Netanyahu's government is much, much closer to being a spokesman for their religion than two men that nobody would have ever heard of before are for theirs.
Very true but Netanyahu's government is much, much closer to being a spokesman for their religion than two men that nobody would have ever heard of before are for theirs.
No more than our government is a spokesman for the entire UK.
These two are not customer service spokesmen for Islam, just as Netanyahu's government are not spokesmen for Judaism.
Very true but Netanyahu's government is much, much closer to being a spokesman for their religion than two men that nobody would have ever heard of before are for theirs.
As i understand it that's really not the case.
Matters of Jewish faith are dealt with at a community level, and there os no mechanism for a centralised spokesperson.
The only difference as 'spokesmen' is their political clout.
Matters of Jewish faith are dealt with at a community level, and there os no mechanism for a centralised spokesperson.
Whilst that may be true in Israeli society, that's not the perception that Netanyahu and his government project to the world, especially when anyone decrying their actions is labelled antisemitic.
Netanyahu no more speaks for Jews around the world than Trump speaks for Christians around the world. They might both claim otherwise, but they’re both full of…
I'm sure there are a couple of STW regulars already working on how they can blame it on their usual targets.
What does that mean. Genuinely. Who are these "usual targets"?
No more than our government is a spokesman for the entire UK.
And again - the UK government is much, much closer to being a spokesman for the UK than two people that you have never heard of before living in the uk somewhere
I'm sure there are a couple of STW regulars already working on how they can blame it on their usual targets.
What does that mean. Genuinely. Who are these "usual targets"?
The great thing about that incendiary comment is that the group that person refers to as the "usual targets" and the group any angry reply refers to could be totally different! It's a perfect device for fighting with everyone! 🤣
Matters of Jewish faith are dealt with at a community level, and there os no mechanism for a centralised spokesperson.
Whilst that may be true in Israeli society, that's not the perception that Netanyahu and his government project to the world, especially when anyone decrying their actions is labelled antisemitic.
So? It is no truer because a right wing nutjob and his government claim it.
Netanyahu no more speaks for Jews around the world than Trump speaks for Christians around the world. They might both claim otherwise, but they’re both full of…
Apart from that is not the same, at all. Israel contain half of the worlds jewish population and very much stands for Jewish people, with obvious historical reasons why that is. So like it or not, the government represents Israel just as the UK government represents the UK.
If the UK government murdered 40,000 people and destroyed their land I would expect hatred towards UK people to increase notably.
Agree with your main point, but 40,000? What revisionism is this?
If the UK government murdered 40,000 people and destroyed their land I would expect hatred towards UK people to increase notably.
While I agree with your point, that would still be no justification for murdering 15 Brits on the other side of the world.
All parties need to stop creating this vicious cycle of hate and terror, and I despair that wider world governments are not prepared to take meaningful actiin to make it happen.
While I agree with your point, that would still be no justification for murdering 15 Brits on the other side of the world.
I didn't say it was justified, just not a surprising reaction.
Agree with your main point, but 40,000? What revisionism is this?
Okay, 72,500 then. Was just an example close to the country in question murder rate.
The quite predictable critique has happened, I get people are hurting but criticising cops for taking cover behind a car whilst trying to get eyes on the shooter isn't it.
A couple of cops in the hospital, the long weapon welding suspects engaged by cops with pistols and some think the cops didn't do a good job.
That takes some balls 'metaphorical' to close with long equipped shooters when your weapon has an effective range of 20m and less, and that's if you're a bloody good shot.
That takes some real professionalism and courage.
The Prime Minister of Israel does not speak for all Jews, whatever he (or anyone else) might claim.
The Prime Minister of Israel does not speak for all Jews, whatever he (or anyone else) might claim.
Of course, but when he claims to do so, and while Israel is widely referred to as “the Jewish state” and while Jewish community leaders such as the Rabbi of Bondi and our own Chief Rabbi express support for the IDF actions it’s inevitable that the confusion may arise.
Apart from that is not the same, at all. Israel contain half of the worlds jewish population and very much stands for Jewish people, with obvious historical reasons why that is. So like it or not, the government represents Israel just as the UK government represents the UK.
If the UK government murdered 40,000 people and destroyed their land I would expect hatred towards UK people to increase notably.
So where was/is the international condemnation/terror attacks for the hundreds of thousands of civilians killed by the US and UK in Afghanistan? That war wasn’t even for a border enemy and the country was discarded in a wreck.
None of the recent attacks have anything to do with what is happening in Israel and Gaza, it is an excuse to be antisemitic.
Okay, 72,500 then. Was just an example close to the country in question murder rate.
If the attacks of October 7th happened in your community, to your family, in your country, you wouldn’t mistakenly call deaths due to war murder. It’s easy to take a ‘moral high ground’ in a war that doesn’t affect you.
That takes some balls 'metaphorical' to close with long equipped shooters when your weapon has an effective range of 20m and less, and that's if you're a bloody good shot. That takes some real professionalism and courage.
It seems the latest reporting suggests that the murderers were shot by a detective using a pistol from around 40m away. I don't know much about guns at all but that seems pretty impressive under the circumstances.
mistakenly call deaths due to war murder
How about death resulting from war crimes - are they "murder" or not ?
mistakenly call deaths due to war murder
How about death resulting from war crimes - are they "murder" or not ?
Can you point me to where you raised issue about the war crimes the UK and US committed in Afghanistan, for an enemy that isn’t even on our border? It’s called war. Can you leave your disguised antisemitism until my friends husband is out of hospital, who was shot on the beach.
Go find somewhere else to spout your hate.