Australian authorities announced last night (Sunday) that the number of people murdered in the antisemitic terrorist attack on Sydney's Bondi Beach has risen to 15.
This is the worst massacre that Australia has experienced in 30 years - since a mass shooting on the island of Tasmania in 1996, in which 35 people were killed.
Sydney police said that the two terrorists were father and son: Sajid Akram, 50, who was killed, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, who was seriously injured. According to police, the father Sajid was licensed to own six weapons. Police found an ISIS flag in the terrorists' vehicle.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the attack as "an act of pure evil" aimed at Australian Jews: "We will devote every possible resource necessary to respond to this attack."
"My government will continue to stand with Australian Jews, to eradicate all expressions of antisemitism." He later visited the scene of the attack and laid a wreath.
So far, the names of seven of the 15 people murdered in the attack have been released:
Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a Chabad emissary in Sydney, (41), who was one of the organizers of the festive event on Bondi Beach for the holiday of Hanukkah; Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman (87), whose wife testified that he was murdered while trying to protect her; Tibor Weizmann, who was also reportedly shot while protecting his wife who survived; Dan Elkayim (27), a French-Jewish citizen who immigrated to Sydney about a year ago; Rabbi Yaakov Halevi Levitan, who was also a Chabad emissary; Reuben Morrison (62), originally from the Soviet Union, a member of the Chabad community in Australia; 82-year-old, Marika Pogany, and 10-year-old Matilda, whose family did not agree to publish her last name.
According to authorities, another 42 were injured in the shooting spree, 11 of them in serious condition. Among the seriously injured are two police officers.
Meanwhile, the National Security Headquarters (NSH) issued a warning to Israelis abroad, warning that "past experience shows that there is a concern about copycat phenomena by supporters of terrorism who may act inspired by the event." The organization recommended taking the following precautions: avoid attending unsecured mass events, especially events at synagogues, Chabad houses, Hanukkah parties, and the like; be vigilant around Jewish or Israeli sites; and report to security forces if anything unusual is detected.