Today's Edition
SYDNEY (REUTERS)
Two alleged gunmen who killed 15 people at a celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach were a father and son, police said on Monday, as Australia began mourning victims of its worst gun violence in almost 30 years.
The father, a 50-year-old, was killed at the scene, taking the number of dead to 16, while his 24-year-old son was in a critical condition in hospital, police said at a press conference on Monday.
Officials have described Sunday's shooting as a targeted attack.
About 40 people remain in hospital following the attack, including two police officers who are in a serious but stable condition, police said. The victims were aged between 10 and 87.
Witnesses said the attack at the famed beach, which was packed on a hot evening, lasted about 10 minutes, sending hundreds of people scattering along the sand and into nearby streets.
Police said around 1,000 people had attended the event, which was held in a small park off the beach.
A bystander captured on video tackling and disarming an armed man during the attack has been hailed as a hero whose actions saved lives. 7News Australia named him as Ahmed al Ahmed, citing a relative, who said the 43-year-old fruit shop owner had been shot twice and had undergone surgery.
Police did not release the shooters' names, but said the father had held a firearms license since 2015 and had six licensed weapons.
Police did not provide details about the firearms, but videos from the scene showed the men firing what appeared to be a bolt-action rifle and a shotgun.
"We are very much working through the background of both persons. At this stage, we know very little about them," New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters.
A makeshift memorial with flowers and flags was set up at the Bondi pavilion and an online condolence book was established. Police and private security guards wearing earpieces were positioned around as mourners paid respects and laid flowers.
Authorities said they were confident only two attackers were involved in the incident, after previously saying they were checking whether a third offender was involved.
At the suspects' home in Bonnyrigg, a suburb around 36 km (22 miles) west of the CBD, there was a heavy police presence on Monday, with a cordon wrapping around several neighbouring houses.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Bondi Beach on Monday morning to lay flowers near the scene of the attack.
"What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location," Albanese told reporters.
Albanese said several world leaders including US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron had reached out and offered condolences and support.
Mass shootings are rare in Australia. Sunday's attack was the worst since 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people at the Port Arthur tourist site in the southern island state of Tasmania.
