As the sun sank on the first day of Hanukkah on Sunday, people gathered at a playground facing Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach for an event melding characteristically Jewish and Australian traditions: Free donuts, ice cream, kosher food, a petting zoo, face painting — and the main event, a menorah lighting.
What happened instead was unthinkable violence. Two gunmen stalked the beachside park raining gunfire into the crowd for more than 10 minutes, leaving 15 dead and 42 in hospital. Among those killed were a 10-year-old girl and Rabbi Eli Schlanger, head of Bondi’s Chabad mission.
The alleged shooters were a father and son. Sajid Akram, aged 50, was shot by police at the scene. Naveed Akram, 24, was taken to hospital in a critical condition. Naveed had been investigated six years ago over links to a Sydney-based self-proclaimed Islamic State terror cell, Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Monday without saying where it got the information.
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