At least 12 dead at an Australia mass shooting targeting a Hannukah celebration

A mass shooting during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney s iconic Bondi Beach on Sunday evening left at least people dead and nearly wounded in what representatives are describing as an antisemitic terrorist attack and the deadliest mass shooting in Australia in nearly years Functionaries stated the attack unfolded at the Chanukah by the Sea festival a general Jewish holiday event hosted by the Chabad of Bondi shortly after p m local time as hundreds of families gathered for the first night of Hanukkah Gunmen opened fire from a footbridge near the nearby playground prompting panic and chaos as attendees fled New South Wales Police approved one attacker was killed at the scene and the other taken into custody in critical condition There is a video online circulating about one local man taking down what appears to be one of the persons Suspicious items including a suspected improvised explosive device were later identified and removed from a automobile linked to one of the subjects police commented Start your day with essential news from Salon Sign up for our free morning newsletter Crash Module Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack as shocking and distressing and urged national unity in response Leaders within the Jewish society characterized the case as deliberately targeting Jewish Australians The attack stands in stark contrast to Australia s decades long record without mass shootings a impact attributed to sweeping gun reforms enacted after the Port Arthur massacre which left people dead and led to strict firearm regulation and buybacks Studies show that from through the mid s Australia experienced virtually no fatal mass shootings under the legal definition of five or more gunshot casualties a pattern researchers have linked to the post Port Arthur reforms especially when compared to the same time in the United States The attack also sharpens focus on rising antisemitic violence globally and the vulnerability of targeted communities during religious celebrations Read more about this topic Trump s the majority original idea Redefining antisemitism Boulder police say makeshift flamethrower used in antisemitic attack that injured Right-wing extremist violence is more frequent and more deadly The post At least dead at an Australia mass shooting targeting a Hannukah celebration appeared first on Salon com