The casualty count is rising: At least 15 individuals perished, with 27 hospitalized following the shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney yesterday. The assault, labeled a terror act, targeted Jewish Australians and marked the nation’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly 30 years.
- Victims: The deceased ranged in age from 10 to 87. Among the casualties were a Holocaust survivor and two rabbis. A “heroic” bystander who took a firearm from one assailant is recovering in the hospital.
- Suspects: A father and son were identified as 50-year-old Sajid Akram, who arrived in the country in 1998 and was killed at the scene, and 24-year-old Navid Akram, who was born in Australia and is currently in custody. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated they were “driven” by extremist ideology and were interviewed by security services in 2019 but “were not part of a broader cell.”
- Gun Laws: Albanese announced Australia’s intentions to tighten its already stringent gun regulations with new measures that will restrict access eligibility.
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