• Facebook
• Twitter
• Threads
• Flipboard
• Comments
• Print
• Email
• Add Fox News on Google

Bystander appears to disarm suspected gunman in Australian terror attack

GRAPHIC FOOTAGE WARNING: At least 16 are dead, including one suspected attacker, after a terror attack at a Hanukkah event in Bondi Beach, Australia.

Police say a father and son were behind the horrifying mass shooting that left 16 people dead, including one of the gunmen, and 40 people hospitalized during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said during a press conference on Monday in Australia that it was a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son that carried out the terror attack.

The father is dead, police said, and the son is in critical but stable condition in a hospital. Lanyon also said they are not looking for additional suspects at this time.

The father was a licensed gun owner with six legally registered firearms. All six of the firearms have been recovered, with some being recovered at the scene. The others were located and recovered when investigators executed search warrants at two separate locations, police said.

ISRAELI OFFICIALS HEAP BLAME ON AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AFTER BONDI BEACH SHOOTING: ‘COUNTLESS WARNING SIGNS’

An investigation is underway after a deadly attack on a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday.  (David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)

The commissioner told reporters Monday afternoon that the father met the eligibility criteria for a hunting license used for recreational hunting.

Still unidentified, the father was issued a Category A/B firearms license, which allowed him to possess the long firearms he registered.

Lanyon told police the warrants were executed at a property in Campsie and another property in Bonnyrigg. He added that their residential address was in Bonnyrigg, though they were staying in Campsie.

The commissioner also told reporters the father had held a gun license for 10 years.

"There was very little knowledge of either of these men by the authorities," Lanyon said. "The person was determined to be entitled to have a firearms license and…the person had a firearms license for a number of years for which there were no incidents."

Two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were also found at the scene of one of the homes where search warrants were executed. The IEDs were taken into possession by a rescue and bomb disposal unit and found to be active. They were then rendered safe by police.

AUSTRALIA'S JEWISH COMMUNITY ALARMED BY RISING ANTISEMITISM: 'FEAR AND ANXIETY'

A health worker moves a stretcher after a shooting incident at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 14, 2025. (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images)

Lanyon noted that the IEDs were "rudimentary," or fairly basic, though he also noted he was grateful they did not detonate.

Police said the victims of the Sunday attack range in age from 10 to 87 years old.

The shooting happened during an annual celebration, known as "Chanukah By The Sea." It was scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m. to celebrate the first day of the Jewish holiday by lighting the first candle on the Menorah. The shooting happened around 6:45 p.m. local time.

Police say the attack "targeted" the Jewish community and is being investigated as an act of terrorism.

At least 40 people remained hospitalized after the shooting, including two police officers, the agency confirmed. The shooting is the worst attack against Jews since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks.

Police added that they found evidence of multiple improvised explosive devices in a vehicle near the scene of the attack.

"We have our rescue bomb disposal unit there at the moment working on that," he said. 

Police cordon off an area at Bondi Beach after a terrorist attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 14, 2025.  (Mark Baker/AP Photo)

Israeli President Isaac Herzog acknowledged the attack while speaking at an event in Jerusalem recognizing immigrants' extraordinary achievements on Sunday.

"At these very moments, our sisters and brothers in Sydney, Australia, have been attacked by vile terrorists in a very cruel attack on Jews who went to light the first candle of Chanukah on Bondi Beach," Herzog said. "Our hearts go out to them. The heart of the entire nation of Israel misses a beat at this very moment, as we pray for the recovery of the wounded, we pray for them and we pray for those who lost their lives."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Herzog also called on the Australian government to "seek action and fight against the enormous wave of antisemitism which is plaguing Australian society."

• ·《剑网3》十六周年庆发布会：“全民新流派+沉浸式剧情前传”续写大唐江湖！
• ·“千万”大港上新，谁是年度最强“黑马”？
• ·写作技巧：英语写作技巧剖析
• ·微信辟谣“微信支付暂停”：服务一切正常
• ·【籽籽同心】两本语言学新书发布 为铸牢中华民族共同体意识提供学术支撑
• ·杨瀚森来了东契奇走了 NBA的2025年活人感拉满
• ·与CD Projekt分家！GOG平台被创始人买断独立运营
• ·库里26分格林10+8米勒空砍33分 勇士力克黄蜂
• ·我叫MT口袋守卫战通用型队伍搭配攻略
• ·珍珠海大冒险初春岛全部彩蛋位置一览
• ·高考英语高分作文写作指导
• ·Dave Chappelle torches idea that Charlie Kirk was this generation's MLK Jr
• ·一年级数学天天练试题及答案2023.12.7（排队问题）
• ·长寿路街道开年首趟“温暖列车”出发 打造街社共治新样本
• ·都市情感剧《亦舞之城》圆满收官 王冠逸细腻演绎守护型暖男
• ·跳票小萝莉扭秧歌 《识质存在》戴安娜新动作展示