At least 15 people were murdered and several more were wounded when a mass shooting targeted a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia, on Sunday.
New South Wales Police, on Monday morning, updated that 40 others remain hospitalized. Two of those hospitalized include police officers, Commissioner Mal Lanyon clarified on Monday.
Lanyon also confirmed that two improvised explosive devices had been found in a car at the scene and that the car was linked to the deceased shooter.
The NSW Police statement included a killed shooter among the dead, authorities later confirmed.
The shooters were a father and son, Lanyon said in a press briefing. The father, 50 years old, was identified as the killer, while the son, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, remains in the hospital under police guard.
The two attackers were earlier identified as Muslim men of Pakistani and Lebanese origin, respectively.
Among the dead are British-born Chabad Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, French national Daniel Elkayam, community member Reuven Morrison, a 10-year-old girl named Matilda, 78-year-old Tibor Weitzen, and an Israeli citizen.
In addition to the death of Rabbi Schlanger, Chabad confirmed that several of its other shluchim (emissaries) were wounded during the attack.
Lanyon also confirmed that improvised explosive devices had been found in a car at the scene and that the car was linked to the deceased shooter.
“We have our rescue bomb disposal unit there,” he said. “They will take the appropriate action.”
“This will be met with a massive police and public order response,” said Minns, adding, “Our heart bleeds for Australia’s Jewish community.”
The two officers declared it a terrorist incident.
“The police operation is ongoing, and we continue to urge people to avoid the area. Please obey ALL police directions. Do not cross police lines,” police wrote.
The party, Hanukkah by the Sea, is an annual event run by Chabad of Bondi, where the community lights up the menorah on the first day of the holiday.
Jeremy Leibler, president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, told The Jerusalem Post, “The Jewish community is in shock. There were 2,000 members of the Jewish community celebrating Hanukkah, lighting the first candle together at Bondi Beach. We are at high alert.
“This is a day of profound grief. Members of our community have been murdered. Others have been seriously injured. Families are shattered. A sacred moment of light has been turned into darkness. We are working urgently with authorities as further details are confirmed. Our focus right now is on the victims, their families, and the safety of the community,” he stated.
“Let me be clear. An attack on Jews celebrating their faith is an attack on Australia itself. It is an assault on our values, our social cohesion, and the basic right of people to gather without fear.”
The Israeli ZAKA rescue and recovery organization has dispatched a delegation, along with logistical equipment, to Bondi to assist in identifying the victims and handling the situation according to Jewish law.
“ZAKA operates anywhere in the world where Jews are harmed in order to ensure that the dignity of the murdered is preserved and to provide families with a humane and respectful response,” said Haim Weingarten, ZAKA’s deputy director of operations.
The Israeli security echelon is examining the possibility of Iranian involvement in the attack.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.