Sydney Bondi Beach Mass Shooting: Gunmen Target Hanukkah Celebration Killing 16

At least 16 people have been killed and over 40 others, including two police officers, were injured in a shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach in Australia, after two gunmen opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration.

Several video footages have emerged on social media showing two alleged gunmen, both dressed in black, shooting towards Bondi Beach from a bridge.

A clip captured on an onlooker's phone revealed beachgoers in bathing suits fleeing from the water as gunshots echoed overhead. The footage, apparently recorded from a building at a distance from the beach, provided an aerial view of the chaotic scene unfolding after the shooting began.

Another video showed two men wearing black shirts firing long guns from a footbridge leading to the beach. This 10-minute recording, taken from the opposite side of the bridge, documented 6 minutes of continuous firing, with the shooters using the footbridge as shelter before attempting to advance further onto the beach, only to be driven back by security forces' return fire.

The footage captured the duo walking to the peak of the footbridge on Sunday evening, around 6:30 pm, before opening fire northward toward a large gathering celebrating the first day of Hanukkah in the park. At one point, one of the Bondi gunmen, Naveed Akram, paused his assault to wave away people who were behind him on the Campbell Parade side of the pedestrian footbridge.

His father, Sajid Akram, was seen running down the steps closer to the crowds in the park. The 24-year-old Naveed turned to bystanders behind him and gestured for them to leave before resuming shooting at the crowds in the park.

Sajid Akram was soon forced back to the bridge by police return fire. He was shot and collapsed, but Naveed continued firing on the crowd before also sustaining a gunshot wound.

Witnesses reported that the attack lasted approximately 10 minutes, causing hundreds of people to scatter along the sand and into nearby streets. According to authorities, emergency services received calls around 6:45 pm responding to reports of an active shooting.

After both shooters were wounded, some brave onlookers approached to disarm them. An angry crowd began assaulting the shooters before police officers arrived and took them into custody.

Police later confirmed the attackers were a father-son pair. While Sajid Akram was fatally shot by police, his son Naveed was wounded and transported to a hospital for treatment, according to New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon.

A dramatic video showed a man apparently tackling and disarming one gunman before turning the weapon on him, then placing the gun on the ground. This action is believed to have saved numerous lives. The 15-second clip shows the man hiding behind parked cars before charging the gunman from behind, grabbing him by the neck, removing his rifle and forcing him to the ground before pointing the weapon back at him.

The heroic individual was identified as 43-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed, a fruit seller, who reportedly suffered two gunshot wounds during his brave intervention.

This massacre at one of Australia's most popular beaches followed a series of antisemitic incidents that have troubled the country over the past year, although authorities have not suggested a connection between those events and Sunday's shooting. It marks the deadliest shooting in almost three decades in a country with strict gun control laws.

Police stated that one gunman was known to security services, but authorities had no indication of a planned attack.

Heavily-armed police raided their home in Bonnyrigg, south-west Sydney, on Sunday night, as well as an Airbnb property in Campsie where the men had been staying. According to ABC News, officials believe the gunmen had pledged allegiance to the IS terrorist group.

Two IS flags were discovered in their car at Bondi Beach, senior officials speaking anonymously reported. One flag was visible in footage from the scene on the car's bonnet. A senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that authorities had taken an interest in Naveed Akram six years ago after police foiled plans for an IS terrorist attack.