Multiple people killed in beach shooting in Australia (VIDEOS)

At least twelve people have been killed and multiple others injured after two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration at a beach in Sydney, Australia, according to media reports.

The incident occurred on Sunday evening at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Footage posted online showed two individuals firing weapons toward crowds, prompting hundreds to flee in panic as emergency services raced to the scene.

Local authorities later confirmed that 12 people have been killed and a further 29 injured, including two police officers. At a press conference following the shooting, police said they are now formally treating it as a “terrorist incident,” confirming earlier reports that explosives have been found in a car linked to one of the gunmen.

In an earlier post on X, police also said a man believed to be one of the shooters is among the dead. The second gunman has been apprehended and is in critical condition. 

The shooting has shocked the local community, as it occurred during the first night of Hanukkah – a major Jewish holiday that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and is traditionally marked by public celebrations, family gatherings, and the lighting of candles over eight nights.

Videos filmed by locals and posted online reportedly captured the moment the shooters were apprehended by police.

Other footage showed crowds fleeing the beach. One clip that quickly went viral appeared to show a bystander attacking one of the gunmen and disarming him, apparently before police arrived.

Australian Prime minister Anthony Albanese called scenes in Bondi “shocking and distressing.” “Police and emergency responders are on the ground working to save lives. My thoughts are with every person affected,” he wrote in a statement on X.

Independent MP Allegra Spender, whose electorate includes Bondi Beach, called the incident “horrifying.”

“It’s still not clear exactly what has happened… This is not the Australia that we know and love. I know our community will come together, but this is devastating to all of us,” she said.

While it remains unclear whether the shooters deliberately targeted the Jewish celebration, Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told 2GB radio it was no coincidence the shooting occurred during a Jewish community event.

“Hundreds of people were gathered. It’s a family event… I don’t think this was an attack that just happened to occur at Bondi Beach. I think this was very deliberate and very targeted,” Ryvchin said. He added that the ECAJ’s director of media was injured in the incident.