New details were revealed Sunday from the investigation into the massacre in Sydney, Australia, during a Hanukkah celebration, in which 11 people were murdered, and dozens were wounded.
One of the terrorists, Nabid Akram, who was critically wounded after the terrorist who fired alongside him was eliminated, had until recently worked as a construction worker and was fired from his job. In the vehicle in which the two terrorists traveled to the scene of the attack, a black flag was found. Authorities are examining possible links to jihadist terror organizations, led by ISIS.
Shortly after the attack, dozens of police officers raided the home of the terrorist’s family, and two relatives were arrested. According to Australian investigative authorities, the terrorist originated from Pakistan.
Larissa Kleitman, whose husband Alex was murdered in the attack, said that like her, he was a Holocaust survivor and was killed when he rose to shield her from the gunfire. “A bullet hit his head when he stood up to protect me,” she said painfully, describing the loss of her husband of the past 50 years. The couple immigrated to Australia from Ukraine, where they raised two children and were blessed with 11 grandchildren. The Hanukkah celebration was a tradition they observed every year.
Also murdered in the attack was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, of blessed memory, a holder of Israeli and Australian citizenship, who had served as a Chabad emissary in Sydney since 2008. He was a partner in commemorating the victims of the October 7 massacre around the world. In recent months, he visited Israel and visited many soldiers.
Rabbi Yaakov Lider, the uncle of Rabbi Schlanger, said in an interview with Kol Barama radio: “Eli organized the event together with my son-in-law. My son-in-law was sitting, Eli was standing next to him, and took a bullet to the head. My granddaughter, who was wounded, is now undergoing surgery in the hospital. This celebration has taken place every Hanukkah for 40 years. I don’t know how we continue from here; we are in shock. There has never been such antisemitism here.”