In Australia, there was a terrorist attack on the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. What is known

On Sunday, December 14, people gathered to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah were shot at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Read more about the incident in the Izvestia article.

What happened

Two intruders took part in the attack. One of them was killed and the other was wounded. It is specified that one of the shooters was Narvid Akram, who lived in the Bonnyrigg area in southwest Sydney. After the incident, his house was searched.

According to the latest information, 15 people became victims of the attack.

New South Wales State Police Commissioner Mol Lanyon said the shooting on the beach qualifies as a terrorist attack. Later, the official said that the attackers were a father and son aged 50 and 24, respectively. The older terrorist owned the weapon legally. Six firearms licenses were issued for him, and the same number of units were found at the crime scene and during a search of their address.

A bystander, Ahmed Al-Ahmed, the owner of a fruit store, helped disarm one of the militants. He received two bullet wounds and is in the hospital. On the GoFundMe donation platform, users raised more than $170,000 for the man, including $100,000 sent by American billionaire Bill Ekman.

Reaction to the terrorist attack

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the same day called the shooting on the beach in Sydney a shocking and disturbing event. He later said that the attack was a targeted attack on the Jewish community on the first day of the Hanukkah holiday.

In turn, Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog called on the Australian government to take measures to combat the wave of anti-Semitism. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also said he was shocked by the incident, and called it the result of "rampant anti-Semitism" in the country. Prime Minister of the Jewish State Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the Australian government for not taking enough measures to counter terrorism and anti-Semitism.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Izvestia that the shooting at the Hanukkah celebration was a terrible tragedy, and Russia is following the news from Australia.

Red Sand: Mass murder took place on a beach in Sydney

At least ten people died as a result of the incident.

The Chief Rabbi of Russia, Berl Lazar, pointed out that the attack showed the danger of the spread of international terrorism. He stressed that "responsibility for the terrorist attack is borne, along with the terrorists themselves, and all those who finance them, who give them weapons, who show them support."

US President Donald Trump, speaking at a Christmas reception at the White House, called the incident an act of anti-Semitism. He also mentioned a "very, very brave man" who got into a fight with one of the shooters and, having been seriously injured, saved many lives, expressing great respect for him.

Are there any Russians among the victims

After the terrorist attack, Zakharova informed that the Russian Embassy in Canberra and the Consulate General in Sydney were investigating information about the presence of Russian citizens among the victims.

On the day of the incident, RT reported that a Russian citizen was injured. According to friends, the woman was shot in the arm. The victim said that there are a lot of injured people, but her life is not in danger now, and she is in the hospital. People magazine has learned that among the dead was Alex Kleitman, a native of the USSR, who was fatally wounded defending his wife Larisa.

However, on December 15, the Russian Embassy in Australia issued a statement saying there was no official information about Russian citizens among those killed or injured in the terrorist attack in Sydney. Also, the diplomatic mission did not receive requests for help from compatriots.

The memory of the victims

A spontaneous memorial to the victims of the terrorist attack appeared in Sydney on December 15. Citizens who are not indifferent to the tragedy bring flowers in memory of the victims. A local resident named Joshua commented on the attack. In his opinion, the Australian authorities did not pay enough attention to countering ethnic hatred.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.