❓WHAT HAPPENED: A terror attack at a Hanukkah celebration at Australia’s Bondi Beach left multiple dead and dozens injured, with reports of a delayed police response during the 20-minute rampage. An eyewitness alleges that the police froze during the shooting.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Two gunmen, identified as father and son duo Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram, targeted attendees of the Chanukah by the Sea event.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The attack occurred on Sunday during the Chanukah by the Sea 2025 event at Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia.
💬KEY QUOTE: “For 20 minutes. They shoot, shoot. Change magazines. And just shoot,” said eyewitness Shmulik Scuri.
🎯IMPACT: The attack, the deadliest in Australia since 1996, has sparked concerns over terrorism targeting Jewish communities and raised questions about law enforcement response times and effectiveness in a country where regular citizens cannot carry arms for self-defense.
Eyewitness Shmulik Scuri has suggested that Sunday’s harrowing 20-minute attack at Bondi Beach’s Chanukah by the Sea event in Australia, in which two gunmen opened fire on a crowd of Jewish people, may have been worsened as a result of police officers at the scene appearing to freeze and initially fail to return fire.
“For 20 minutes. They shoot, shoot. Change magazines. And just shoot,” Scuri, who is Israeli, told reporters. He added, “Twenty minutes, there was four policemen there. Nobody give fire back. Nothing. Like they froze. I don’t understand why.” The attackers targeted men, women, children, and elderly people indiscriminately, according to Scuri.
A detailed eye witness account of the shooting at Bondi Beach.
“There were FOUR police officers there, and they didn’t shoot back. They just stood there and didn’t do anything”
That pretty much sums up the west in a nutshell. Even with guns, they’re a bunch of pussies. And the… pic.twitter.com/PKw0DuvcXO
— Chaya’s Clan (@ChayasClan) December 14, 2025
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has renewed a push for greater gun control following the attack, despite the loss of life—at least in part—possibly being due to the lack of police action in the initial moments of their response to the attack. Notably, one of the gunmen was disarmed not by Australian law enforcement but by fruit shop owner Ahmed al-Ahmed. The unarmed fruit shop owner tackled the gunman and ripped away his rifle, disrupting his attack until he could rearm himself with another firearm. Still, Australian officials insist that further restricting firearms among the general law-abiding public is preferable to allowing Australians to carry firearms for self-defense.
The attack left 11 people dead, including British-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, a Holocaust survivor, and a young girl. Police later identified the attackers as Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, Pakistani immigrant Sajid Akram. Improvised explosive devices were found in their vehicle. The two men are believed to have pledged support to the Islamic State (ISIS) prior to the attack.
Authorities confirmed one of the gunmen was on the Australian Security Intelligence Organization watchlist but had not been classified as an immediate threat before the attack.
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