Daily London
Today, the death toll from the terror attack rose to 15, plus one of the shooters, while the other gunman remains in custody in a critical condition – although police said it is likely he will recover and face criminal charges.
The youngest of those killed, Matilda Bee Britvan, was just 10 years old, while the oldest, 87-year-old Alex Kleytman, was a Holocaust survivor.
A former police officer, Peter Meagher, had been photographing the Chanukah by the Sea event when he was gunned down, while two rabbis were also among the dead: Eli Schlanger and Yaakov Levitan.
Some 27 people remained in hospital as of this evening. Six were critical, and a further six were critical but stable.
The pair are now known to be 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son, Naveen.
Sajid was killed by police during the attack while Naveen was critically wounded.
This afternoon, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the younger man, who is an Australian-born citizen, had been on authorities’ radar six years ago, having been investigated by ASIO for six months.
“The son first came to attention in October 2019,” he said.
“He was examined on the basis of being associated with others and the assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence.
“(He was investigated because of) people he was associated with, rather than things that he, himself, had done.”
Sajid, meanwhile, was a licenced gun owner and gun club member who legally owned six longarm firearms.
He had moved to Australia in 1998 on a student visa, transferred to a partner visa in 2001, and understood to be on a resident return visa (RRV) at the time of the shooting.
But as the country learnt more about the men who carried out the vile attack, so too did everyday citizens do their part to help out.
Injured in the aftermath, he is now recovering in hospital, has met with Premier Chris Minns, and can look forward to an astounding reward for his incredible bravery: a crowdfunding effort has already raised more than $1 million for the fruit shop owner.
In Canberra, politicians turned to what they can do in the aftermath of the deadliest shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
Also from the prime minister – and many other leaders – was a call for unity, for Australians to embrace each other in the wake of the country’s worst-ever terror attack.
“What I want is for Australians to come together,” Anthony Albanese said.
“For this to be reinforcing the need for us to promote national unity. And that is critical.
“There is no place in Australia for antisemitism.
“There is no place for hatred.”
If you have been impacted by the terror attack in Bondi there is support available.
To contact Lifeline Australia, call 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14. For people under 25 years old, you can contact Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800. Both of these are available on a 24/7 basis.
