"It could be me": dismay in Sydney the day after the attack

Sydney8:09 p.m.: "There was a mass shooting in Bondi. The attackers opened fire on the crowd in a park where the Jewish community was celebrating the first day of Hanukkah." 8:10 p.m.: "Becca, Jake, and Tash are okay." During the hours after the murder of 15 people on Bondi beach From Sydney, thousands of messages circulated throughout the city. 10:40 p.m.: "Maurice, are you okay? I can't believe what's happened." 10:42 p.m.: "Yes, but I'm in shock." 10:45 p.m.: "And all your loved ones?" 10:50 p.m.: "Immediate family, yes, but I'm afraid of perhaps meeting someone who has died."

Although it's one of the largest Jewish communities in the country, everyone knows each other. One in two of the 47,099 Jews in New South Wales live in the eastern suburbs; more than 17,000 in total, according to a study by the Jewish Communal Appeal. In fact, five suburbs account for 80% of the Jewish population in the city's east side.

On Monday morning, Bondi Beach was still cordoned off. Among the few people strolling or jogging, the strange feeling of being in a place of stillness was striking. Parked vehicles and personal belongings were still scattered about. From early morning, thousands of people flooded the city's blood donation centers. On the radio, a man declared, "Sydney is no longer safe," while rumors spread across social media that a Pakistani boy, with the same name as one of the snipers, was one of those responsible for the attack.

Authorities detailed that the alleged perpetrators are a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son, who, according to police, used licensed firearms. Naveed Akram, 24, was arrested at the scene and taken to a Sydney hospital with critical injuries. His father, 50, was shot dead by police. The son was known to police and security services in New South Wales. The father, for his part, had a permit for six firearms registered in his name. Police have confirmed that all six have been recovered.

According to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Naveed Akram, who worked as a bricklayer, came to the attention of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) in October 2019. He was investigated for six months for his alleged connections with third parties; according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), for possible links to an Islamic State cell. According to Albanese, the intelligence services "concluded that there was no indication of an ongoing threat or his involvement in violent acts." New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has stated that there was nothing "to indicate that either of the two men involved in yesterday's attack was planning it" and confirmed that the father had held a firearms license for a decade.

Home Secretary Tony Burke confirmed that Naveed Akram was a natural-born Australian citizen. His father had come to Australia on a student visa in 1998 and later obtained permanent residency. Until recently, the suspected killer worked as a bricklayer. The man who had employed him explained that he had taken him on as an apprentice six years prior and described him as a very consistent worker who rarely took days off. He also said that a couple of months ago Akram told him he had broken his wrist while boxing and was on extended leave. A colleague explained that the suspected attacker was an avid hunter.

Shock in the Jewish community

The Bondi neighborhood felt stagnant today. The weather has worsened, but throughout the day hundreds of people have come with flowers. Campbell Parade is closed. The shops are half empty. Two Aboriginal women with a boy get out of a car, each carrying a bouquet. All conversations are hushed. "Thank you so much... Thank you so much," a woman walking with a dog in one hand and an Israeli flag in the other replies to a passerby offering his condolences.

At dawn, a small group of people gathered outside the Bondi Pavilion to remember the victims: 15 people in total, ranging in age from 10 to 87, including Rabbi Eli Schlager; Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor; and Dan Elkayam, a French citizen who had arrived in Australia two years earlier. As the hours passed, more people came to the pavilion, which became a makeshift memorial.

With the flags of Israel and Australia hanging on the Pavilion's door, some of the country's leaders strolled along Bondi Beach: the Prime Minister; the leader of the opposition, Sussan Ley; the Jewish MP Julian Leeser; former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull; and the premier Chris Minns, from New South Wales, who has had time to visit Ahmed al-Ahmed, the man who disarmed one of the attackers, in the hospital where he is recovering from gunshot wounds.

More restrictions on weapons

Minns met with state leaders and the prime minister on Monday to discuss tightening gun control, and the government announced "firm, decisive, and focused" action on reforming the legislation. Australia already restricted guns after the 1996 Port Arthur bombing, which killed 35 people. Generally, if there is a "genuine" reason—such as hunting—it is permitted to buy a firearm. However, as some studies point out, although the number of licensed gun owners has decreased over the past 30 years, the number of handguns and rifles has increased by 25%. In fact, according to official records, in Sydney, some 70 individuals have more than 100 registered firearms, and one person alone has registered 385. The changes could include the implementation of a national registry, the involvement of intelligence services in the licensing process, legal limitations, and making Australian citizenship a requirement for obtaining a license.

More anti-Semitic attacks and more Islamophobia

During the afternoon, more people gathered at the Pavilion. Some were leaving flowers, others were looking at it, flanked by police officers on one side and a throng of journalists on the other. "I can show you the video from last week of me dancing salsa here," said a man wearing a white shirt. "It could have been me. Yesterday I could have been here or at the Jewish celebration, but I'm a photographer and I was working up and down."

Since 2023, antisemitic incidents have increased in intensity. Graffiti, vehicle burnings, threats against shopkeepers, and the attack on a Melbourne synagogue This led the government to expel the Iranian ambassador after intelligence services pointed to the Revolutionary Guard. Islamophobia also grew unchecked, with some studies indicating a 1300% increase in just two years.

Albanese called for unity and assured that his government is prepared to take all necessary measures, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the government "had done nothing" to curb antisemitism, which has been on the rise since 2023. Netanyahu also said that he warned him in August that the government's decision to recognize a Palestinian state "pours gasoline on the fire of antisemitism, emboldens those who threaten Australian Jews, and encourages the hatred of Jews that now runs rampant in the streets."

Among the crowd in the pavilion that serves as a meeting place and a memorial, someone begins to sing songs in Hebrew and theAdvance Australia FairMore people join in singing the national anthem, but silence and hushed conversations soon return. The attack has left many members of the Jewish community traumatized. "We hope this stops here," the wounded man says.