Youngest victim was 10

Sydney terror: Attackers are father and son!

Many people were killed and injured in a terrorist attack on a Jewish festival in the Australian metropolis of Sydney on Sunday. More and more details are becoming known.(Bild: AFP/DAVID GRAY)

There are now new details about the two attackers from Bondi Beach in the Australian metropolis of Sydney. According to the latest police findings, the two are father and son. Meanwhile, the number of dead has risen to 16 - including a child aged just ten.

As the New South Wales police announced at a press conference, the 50-year-old father is the person who died in the exchange of fire with the police. His 24-year-old son was seriously injured and is currently in hospital. His condition is "critical but stable".

Probably only two shooters involved in the attack
The father was in possession of a gun license. He had owned six firearms registered in his name for around ten years. There were no previous indications that the father-son duo had planned the attack," emphasized the police. According to the current state of the investigation, it can be assumed that only the two shooters were involved.

Son was known to secret service, explosive devices found in father's car
According to the police, improvised explosive devices were also found in a car that is believed to be connected to the assailant who was killed. The police also admitted that the younger perpetrator was known to the Australian secret service. However, they only had "very limited knowledge" of him. The perpetrator did not pose a specific threat. 

Many people were killed and injured in a terrorist attack on a Jewish festival in the Australian metropolis of Sydney on Sunday. More and more details are becoming known.(Bild: AFP/DAVID GRAY)

Brutal attack on Jewish festival of lights
According to official figures, at least 16 people (including the attacker) were killed in the anti-Semitic attack on Bondi Beach in Sydney. 40 people are currently injured. The attack took place on Sunday evening (local time) at the beginning of the Jewish festival of lights, Hanukkah. According to the police, more than 1000 people had gathered on the popular beach in Sydney's east.

New details about the victims
Alexander Ryvchin, co-chair of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, has also confirmed to CNN the death of a 10-year-old child who succumbed to her injuries in hospital. "I know everyone who was there. It's an event I attend every year with my family," Ryvchin told the US broadcaster. As reported by "The Australian", the dead also include a Holocaust survivor, a 41-year-old British rabbi, an Israeli and a French citizen. The oldest victim was 87 years old. 

Bondi Beach remains closed
Bondi Beach will remain closed on Monday. Investigators are still examining the crime scene, the New South Wales Police announced on Platform X. Neither airplanes nor drones are allowed to fly over the area.

Videos show dramatic scenes
Videos on social media show dramatic scenes at the scene (see post below). One shows a gunman firing from a nearby bridge.

The videos also show people fleeing the scene in panic:

Brave passer-by wrestles down assassin and is celebrated as a hero
In another video, a passer-by can be seen surprising and disarming one of the two gunmen during the attack. The man first jumps on the attacker's back from behind. After a brief scuffle, he takes the gun from him. The perpetrator, who had previously been shooting around, escapes with a limp. The passer-by is celebrated as a "hero" in the Australian media.

Netanyahu criticizes Australian government
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, made serious accusations against the Australian government. He warned his counterpart that the country's policies were fueling anti-Semitism, Netanyahu said on Sunday. Anti-Semitism spreads "when leading politicians remain silent", Netanyahu emphasized. "They must replace weakness with action."

Increased threat but no concrete danger in Austria
Top politicians from all over the world reacted with shock to the terrorist attack. The Ministry of the Interior in Vienna announced that since October 7, 2023 - the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel - there has also been an increased threat level for Austria, but that there is no specific danger. Terror alert level 4 currently applies (out of 5 possible levels).