A father and son opened fire on Jewish people gathered to celebrate the start of Hanukkah on Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach on Sunday night, killing 16 people and triggering the deadliest terrorist attack in Australia's history.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed on Monday that the suspects were a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son from the city's western suburbs. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted law enforcement sources as saying that the names of the two gunmen were Naveed Akram and his father Sajid.
Lanyon said his father, who was killed in the shooting, had been a gun owner for 10 years and had licenses for six weapons. Police are satisfied six guns were seized from the scene. Lanyon also said police also found two active improvised explosive devices and had safely defused them. Police are no longer searching for the third offender.
Lanyon said police raided a home in Bonnyrigg, about 22 miles west of central Sydney, and a property in Campsie where the pair had lived on Sunday night.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said on Monday the victims ranged in age from 10 to 87. Local media have identified one of the victims as a rabbi.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a press conference on Monday that the shooting was a "deliberate attack" on the Jewish community. He previously described the incident as "an evil act of anti-Semitism and terrorism that strikes at the heart of our country" and stressed that he would fight anti-Semitism without compromise.
"We have a responsibility to care for this hurting group and let them know that ordinary Australians, ordinary Australians, stand with them," he said on Monday.
