Australia's PM Apologizes After Deadly Attack on Jewish Festival
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has issued a heartfelt apology to the nation's Jewish community following the devastating mass shooting that claimed 15 lives during a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach.
"As Prime Minister, I feel the weight of responsibility for an atrocity that happened while I'm Prime Minister, and I'm sorry for what the Jewish community and our nation as a whole have experienced," Albanese declared on Monday.
The Prime Minister pledged unwavering government commitment to protecting Jewish Australians and upholding their fundamental rights to practice their faith, educate their children, and participate fully in Australian society.
Meticulously Planned Terror Attack
The tragic incident unfolded on December 14 when father and son duo Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, allegedly opened fire on families celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach. The attack, which wounded dozens more, ranks among Australia's deadliest mass shootings in history.
Court documents revealed the suspects "meticulously planned" the assault over several months, including firearms training in rural New South Wales and conducting nighttime reconnaissance of the beach location just days before the attack.
Police received the first emergency calls at approximately 6:47 p.m., as gunfire erupted into crowds of about 1,000 festival attendees enjoying the family-oriented celebration.
Victims and Heroes
Among the victims were a 10-year-old girl named Matilda, described by her family as a "ray of sunshine," and 87-year-old Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, a retired mechanic. Boris and Sofia Gurman, local Bondi residents, tragically lost their lives while courageously attempting to stop the attackers.
The suspects had prepared extensively, loading three firearms, four homemade explosive devices, and two Islamic State flags into their vehicle on the morning of the attack. Surveillance footage captured them wrapping "long and bulky items in blankets" before driving to the beach.
Investigation Reveals Concerning Details
Authorities discovered the attackers had recorded a video denouncing "Zionists" and explaining their motivations. The investigation also revealed a concerning four-week trip to the southern Philippines just weeks before the shooting, though the purpose remains unclear.
Sajid Akram, an Indian national who entered Australia in 1998, was fatally shot by police at the scene. His son Naveed, an Australian-born unemployed bricklayer, survived and now faces terrorism charges, 15 counts of murder, and 40 counts of grievous bodily harm with intent to murder.
Most troubling is the revelation that Australia's domestic intelligence agency ASIO had investigated Naveed Akram in 2019 over radicalization concerns but concluded he posed no threat. Despite this, his father later obtained a gun license for six rifles, three of which were used in the attack.
Naveed Akram was transferred from hospital to prison on Monday, where he remains in custody awaiting his next court appearance.