At Least 11 Killed In Sydney ‘Terrorist Attack’, Modi Condemns All Forms of Terrorism
New Delhi: Eleven people were killed in a shooting targeting a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday (December 14) evening that Australian officials have declared an antisemitic terrorist attack.
Twenty-nine people were injured, including two police officers, whose condition was “serious verging on critical”, New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon said at a press conference on Sunday night Sydney time.
One of two gunmen identified was killed in addition to the 11 victims while the other was taken into custody, Lanyon said. Police were investigating whether there was a ‘third offender’ involved, he added.
The gunmen are said to have attacked a ‘Chanukah by the Sea’ event marking the beginning of the eight-day-long Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
Hundreds were seen fleeing the area and videos showed the two gunmen dressed in black firing large guns.
Police received first calls of shots fired at Bondi Beach's Archer Park at 6:57 pm local time (1:27 pm IST) and Lanyon declared the event a terrorist attack at 9:36 pm, he said.
Asked why he declared it a terrorist attack, Lanyon said: “There was a range of circumstances. Obviously, the fact that it's the first day of Hanukkah, the types of weapons, the offenders, some of the other items we found at the scene. As I said, we have found an improvised explosive device in a car which is linked to the deceased offender.”
Intelligence on the dead shooter contributed to the terror attack declaration but he was not in a position to disclose this, Lanyon told reporters.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the shooting a “targeted attack on Jewish Australians” and an “act of evil antisemitism” and “terrorism”.
“There is no place for this hate, violence and terrorism in our nation. Let me be clear: we will eradicate it,” Albanese said in a video message.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack and condoled the deaths. “We stand in solidarity with the people of Australia in this hour of grief. India has zero tolerance towards terrorism and supports the fight against all forms and manifestations of terrorism,” he wrote on X.
External affairs minister S. Jaishankar also posted a condolatory message, condemning the incident “in the strongest terms”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recalled how he had blamed Canberra earlier this year for “promoting and encouraging antisemitism in Australia” with its policies.
“Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on the antisemitic fire. It rewards Hamas terrorists. It emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets,” Netanyahu recalled telling Albanese in August, when Canberra had announced its intention to formally recognise a Palestinian state.
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