Australia observes day of mourning for victims of Bondi Beach mass shooting

Flags volition beryllium flown astatine half-staff to honour the victims of the December 14 shooting astatine Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

Australia is observing a nationalist time of mourning for victims of past month’s mass shooting astatine Sydney’s Bondi Beach, erstwhile 2 gunmen opened occurrence astatine a Jewish celebration, sidesplitting 15 people.

Flags crossed Australia volition alert astatine half-staff connected Thursday to retrieve the victims of the December 14 shooting, with a infinitesimal of soundlessness planned for 7:01 p.m. Sydney clip (08:01 GMT).

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4‘I won’t usage force’ for Greenland: Key takeaways from Trump’s Davos speech
• list 2 of 4Russia-Ukraine war: List of cardinal events, time 1,428
• list 3 of 4‘Catch of the day’: Trump launches caller ICE migration crackdown successful Maine
• list 4 of 4Israel bombs 4 Syria-Lebanon borderline crossings; kills 2 successful southbound Lebanon

Memorial services volition beryllium held astatine the Sydney Opera House and Bondi’s Chabad House, a Jewish assemblage centre. Most of the 15 victims of the onslaught were Jewish, including a 10-year-old child.

The taxable of the memorials is “Light volition win”, and the authorities volition signifier airy installations successful the superior of Canberra and different cities featuring pillars of airy for each of the 15 victims.

The events volition besides honour the galore radical who offered assistance during oregon aft the December attack, including archetypal responders and Bondi store proprietor Ahmed al-Ahmed, who wrestled a gun from 1 of the attackers.

“When we look to Bondi, we don’t conscionable spot a beach,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said connected Thursday.

“We spot it arsenic portion of our committedness to the world. It’s a welcoming embrace, a celebrated crescent of soil and h2o wherever there’s country for everyone,” Albanese said successful a statement.

“This is simply a spot wherever thing should interruption but for the waves, but a batch broke that night. It was a tragic attack, not conscionable connected Jewish Australians, but connected the Australian mode of life,” helium said.

Bondi is location to 1 of Australia’s astir celebrated beaches, but the neighbourhood is besides historically known for its ample Jewish community.

The Bondi shooting was the deadliest onslaught of its benignant successful 30 years.

Suspect Sajid Akram, 50, was changeable and killed by constabulary during the Bondi Beach attack. An Indian national, helium entered Australia connected a visa successful 1998. His 24-year-old son, Naveed, an Australian-born national who remains successful prison, has been charged with coercion and 15 murders.

Police accidental the brace were inspired by the ISIL (ISIS) group.

This week, the Australian parliament approved tougher weapon laws successful the aftermath of the attack, which volition see a weapon buyback strategy and tighter weapon licence checks.

Albanese earlier this period besides launched a royal committee into anti-Semitism and societal cohesion arsenic portion of a wider crackdown connected hatred crimes.