Taxi driver Rahmath Sameer had just dropped someone off at the beach when he heard the shots. “I stopped the car and immediately went to see what was going on. I heard the shots and saw people running. People fell to the ground, there was blood everywhere.”
His white T-shirt is covered in blood stains. “I tried to help as many people as possible and get them into the ambulances quickly,” he says, upset. A few hours later he is still at the beach, which is otherwise almost empty. Streets are cordoned off with police tape, there are flashing lights and sirens everywhere. Sameer wipes the tears from his cheeks. “I was sitting with an old woman who was lying on the ground, she had a shot in her thigh. She held my hand and wouldn’t let go.”
Around a quarter to seven in the evening, two gunmen opened fire on unsuspecting bathers at Bondi Beach, Sydney’s most popular beach. Various images show how they get out of a car and shoot indiscriminately with firearms from a walkway. At least twelve people died and 29 people were taken to hospital with injuries.
Homemade explosives
It started off as a typical hot summer day in Sydney. The iconic beach of Bondi Beach was packed. Like every year, the beginning of Hanukkah was celebrated; the Jewish festival of lights. The festival started in the afternoon and about a thousand people attended.
Habid Haylani was on his way to McDonald‘s to eat something when he heard the shots. “I saw two men with guns. And then I saw all the people being shot, falling to the ground.” He hid near the public toilets hoping to avoid the bullets.
The shooting lasted about ten minutes. “The police shot the two shooters. Then all kinds of people ran towards them and started kicking and hitting them.” The boulevard was littered with bullets. “There was a lot of blood.”
According to Uber driver John, who does not want to be identified by his last name, it was chaos. Many people randomly stopped cars on the street to get a ride. “Everyone wanted to get away from there as quickly as possible. I drove many people away from the beach.”
Police officers near the site of the attack on Sunday evening.
Photo David Gray/AFP
29 injured people were taken to hospital, including two police officers. One gunman was shot dead, the other is in a critical condition in hospital. The police are investigating whether a third perpetrator was involved. Homemade explosives were also found in the car of one of the perpetrators. A police team is working to find and dismantle more possible explosives.
Not much is yet known about the background of the shooters. One of them has been identified as Naveed Akram aged 24. He lives in a western area of Sydney. The police have already raided his home. Nothing is yet known about the second perpetrator.
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The shooting at iconic Bondi Beach will go down in history as a moment that will change Australia forever, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a news conference. “The gunmen targeted the Jewish community, but also Bondi beach, the people’s beach, on what should have been a carefree summer day. This was an attack on all Australians, on our freedoms and our way of life.”
Emergency workers at the scene of the attack on a Jewish party on Sydney beach, which left at least twelve people dead.
Photo Mark Baker/AP
Chris Minns, premier of the state where Sydney is located, also expressed his support. “Our hearts bleed for the Jewish community in Australia.” He praised the 43-year-old man who took the gun from one of the attackers. He was injured and taken to a local hospital. “That man is a hero and I am sure that many people owe their lives to him,” said Minns.
Anti-Semitism
Jewish leaders have expressed their dismay and anger. It is not the first time that Australia has been shocked by anti-Semitic attacks. “This did not come without warning,” said Jillian Segal, the government’s special anti-Semitism envoy. She thinks that the perpetrators deliberately chose a symbolic place. “They deliberately target Australian icons. So this is a direct attack on Australia.”
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With the attack on Bondi Beach, the fears of Australian Jews have come true
The Australian government promises to protect the Jewish community. “Every Australian, like me, is completely appalled by this attack on our way of life. There is no place for this hatred, for violence and for terrorism in our country,” Albanese said at a news conference. “Let me be clear: we will eradicate it.”
Taxi driver Sameer still cannot comprehend what he has seen. “We are all human, no matter where you come from or what background you have. I pray that all the people in the hospital are okay,” says Sameer.
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