Life

Bondi Beach Gunmen Who Killed 15 People Are Father and Son, Authorities Say

The attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach killed 15 people and injured dozens during a Jewish Hannukah gathering.

A Bondi Beach sign with safety warnings is in the foreground. In the background, people are sorting through clothes and items on the sand.
DAVID GRAY / AFP via Getty Images

Australian police say the two suspected gunmen in the deadly Hanukkah attack were a father and his son.

According to New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon, the 50 year old father was shot and killed by police, while his 24 year old son remains hospitalized, per CBS News.

Despite Australian police saying they were looking for a potential third suspect at a prior press conference, Lanyon confirmed that this is no longer the case.

The surviving suspect was identified as Naveed Akram, a Pakistani national, according to U.S. intelligence officials briefed on the investigation. CBS News also reports that they reviewed his New South Wales driver's license.

The father's name has not been released, but police said he was a licensed gun owner who had held a gun license for about ten years.

Investigators recovered six of his licensed firearms at the scene along with improvised explosive devices found in one of the suspects' vehicles.

"We will look at the motives behind this attack and I think it is important as part of the investigation," Lanyon said.

The shooting occurred during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, where more than one thousand people had gathered, leaving 15 people dead and at least 40 injured, including two officers and three children.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the gunmen were "deliberately targeting the Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah."

Among the injured was 43-year-old fruit seller Ahmed al Ahmed, who was shot after confronting one of the attackers and wrestling the gun away.

President Donald Trump later praised the act at the White House, saying al Ahmed's actions "saved a lot of lives.”

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