By International Affairs Correspondent
London, (The Muslim News): Australia is grappling with its deadliest terrorist attack and worst mass shooting in almost 30 years after a father and son opened fire on a crowded Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach. Sixteen people were killed in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described as a “deliberate attack on Jewish people”.
The attack unfolded shortly before 7pm on Sunday at the annual Chanukah by the Sea event in Archer Park, which had drawn close to 1,000 people. From a pedestrian footbridge overlooking the gathering, the two gunmen—armed with legally owned firearms—fired around 50 rounds into the crowd below. Fourteen people, including one of the attackers, were killed at the scene. Two more victims later died in hospital, while 42 others were injured.
As panic and confusion engulfed the park, an unarmed bystander intervened in an act of extraordinary courage. Ahmed al-Ahmed, a 43-year-old Syrian-born Australian, tackled one of the gunmen from behind, wrestled away his bolt-action rifle and turned it on the attacker. Al-Ahmed was shot multiple times during the struggle and remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital. His action saved lives of a large number of Jews and others.
Visiting him at his bedside, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns described al-Ahmed as a “real-life hero”. A public fundraiser established for his family has since surpassed AU$1.3 million.
His relatives said his actions were instinctive and rooted in conscience rather than calculation. “He saw people dying and their families being shot, he couldn’t bear to see people dying,” his cousin, Mustafa al-Asaad, said. “He doesn’t discriminate between one nationality and another.”
The victims ranged in age from 10 to 87. Among those killed were Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, who died while trying to shield his wife; Chabad rabbis Eli Schlanger and Yaakov Levitan; French footballer Dan Elkayam; and a 10-year-old girl, Matilda. Jeremy Leibler, president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, said the attack struck at the heart of the nation’s values. “An attack on Jews celebrating their faith is an attack on Australia itself. It is an assault on our values, our social cohesion.”
Australia’s Muslim leadership moved swiftly to condemn the atrocity. In a joint declaration, the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) and the Council of Imams NSW said: “These acts of violence and crimes have no place in our society… This is a moment for all Australians, including the Australian Muslim community, to stand together in unity, compassion, and solidarity, rejecting violence in all its forms.”
The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) echoed that message, condemning the attack “in the strongest terms” and extending its “deep sorrow and heartfelt support” to all those affected.
The statements came amid heightened domestic tensions, with Australia’s national terrorism threat level raised to “probable” in August 2024, as intelligence agencies warned of escalating risks linked to the war in Gaza.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed the shooting had been declared a terrorist incident. The perpetrators, aged 50 and 24, were identified as a father and son. The father, a registered gun club member, legally owned at least six firearms. The son, an Australian-born citizen, had been known to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation since 2019 for his connections to a Sydney-based Islamic State cell, though he was assessed as “not an immediate threat”.
Police later discovered Islamic State flags and a suspected homemade explosive device inside the attackers’ vehicle.
In the wake of the attack, Albanese pledged to further tighten Australia’s already stringent gun laws, a move unanimously backed by the National Cabinet. Proposed reforms include restricting firearm ownership to Australian citizens and establishing a national firearms register. “This was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism and terrorism on our shores,” the Prime Minister said.
International condemnation followed swiftly. King Charles III said he and Queen Camilla were “appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack on Jewish people”. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the news as “deeply distressing”, adding: “The UK sends our thoughts and condolences to everyone affected by the appalling attack in Bondi Beach.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was “shocked by the distressing scenes at Bondi”, announcing that armed police would be deployed to protect Jewish sites across New Zealand in response.
Other reactions were more contentious. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack but accused the Albanese government of “pouring fuel on this antisemitic fire”, referencing Australia’s recognition of Palestine earlier this year—a claim Australian leaders rejected. US President Donald Trump described the shooting as a “purely antisemitic attack”.
As the country mourns, the Bondi tragedy has exposed a stark and painful duality: a terrorist act driven by antisemitic hatred, met with immediate rejection by Australia’s Muslim leadership and countered by an extraordinary act of bravery from within that same community.
[Photo: New South Wales Premier Chris Minns visits Ahmed Al Ahmed, 43, at a hospital in Sydney, Australia, on December 15, 2025. Al Ahmed was hailed as a global hero after tackling an attacker during a mass shooting on an Australian beach. His parents said he was shot four to five times. Photojournalist: NSW premier Chris Minns Account/AA]
