Bondi shooting gunman Sajid Akram held gun licence, used six firearms in attack
“Whether it’s destructive, horrific acts of violence, whether it’s slogans, slogans and internet postings. We must fight antisemitism wherever it exists, it’s toxic, it’s a cancer on society, and as you can see from last night, it leads to devastating, devastating consequences for the people of our country.”
Akram is a recently unemployed bricklayer who told his family that he was going fishing for the weekend. Police descended on Akram’s home in Bonnyrigg and the short-term rental house in Campsie where the father and son were staying.
Police also found several IEDs in a car in Campbell Parade, which runs parallel to the beach. The car is linked to one of the shooters.
The first victim identified was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a 41-year-old father of four who had recently given birth to a baby. 27-year-old French national Dan Elkayam also lost his life in the attack.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has faced criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused him of not taking a tough stance on antisemitism.
Albanese did not respond directly but said it was time for national unity.
“What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism associated with joy, associated with families coming together, associated with celebrations on our shores at Bondi Beach, an iconic part of Australia,” he said.
“It is forever tainted by what happened last night.”
On Monday morning, Albanese visited Bondi Beach to lay flowers at the Bondi Pavilion. He also visited officers at the nearby police station.
NSW Police Operation Shelter will deploy police officers to Jewish places of worship and schools to protect the community following the attack. Operation Arques, a joint counter-terrorism investigation, will investigate the attack.
Police are not looking for other persons of interest.
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