On December 14, in Australia's second-largest city, Sydney, two men opened fire on people gathered for a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach. The tragedy claimed the lives of 12 people, and around two dozen were injured. The authorities classified the incident as a terrorist attack.
The Commissioner of New South Wales, Mal Lanyon, stated that there was also an explosive device in the attackers' vehicle.
The first reports of the attack emerged at 6:00 PM local time (09:00 Riga time). At that time, there were reports of bangs and gunfire directed at the holidaymakers.
Shortly after the attack, a video began circulating online showing one of the locals, unarmed, disarming the attacker with a shotgun. He turned out to be 43-year-old local resident and fruit shop owner Ahmed al-Ahmed.
The disarmed shooter retreated and was later apprehended by the police. Ahmed al-Ahmed himself sustained injuries to his abdomen. It remains unclear who exactly shot him.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the Australian government along with its leader Anthony Albanese after the terrorist attack. According to him, long before the attack, the head of the Israeli government sent a letter to his Australian counterpart accusing him of inciting an "anti-Semitic conflict," adding that Canberra encourages "hatred against Jews."
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer published a post congratulating and wishing Jewish communities around the world well during Hanukkah. However, shortly after reports of the terrorist attack, he was asked to "turn on the television" and remove his address.
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