No fewer than 12 people have reportedly lost their lives after two gunmen opened fire on a crowd marking Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.
Police commissioner Mal Lanyon said more than 1,000 people were present at the location, describing the attack as a “terrorist incident”.
According to Lanyon, 29 individuals were taken to hospital, including a child and two police officers who are in “serious, verging on critical” condition and currently undergoing surgery.
One of the gunmen was confirmed dead, while the second suspected shooter remains in critical condition.
Lanyon disclosed that investigators are examining the possibility that a third gunman may have been involved, adding that two suspects are presently in police custody.
He also said officers discovered what they believe to be “several improvised explosive devices” connected to the deceased attacker during the investigation.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns condemned the incident, saying it was “designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community”.
Videos that later emerged showed a man confronting one of the suspected attackers.
In the footage, the man jumps forward, grabs the gunman from behind, and struggles with him before disarming him as shots were being fired.
As they wrestled, the weapon discharged again. The man then forced the attacker to the ground and pointed the gun back at him, compelling him to retreat.
“That man is a genuine hero, and I’ve got no doubt there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery,” Minns said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also condemned the incident, describing it as a “vile act of violence and hate”.
“An act of evil antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation,” he said, stressing that such an incident has no place in Australia.
Mass public shootings are uncommon in the country.
In 1996, 35 people were killed and many others injured when a lone gunmen opened fire at a historic site in Tasmania.
That tragedy led the government to implement some of the world’s toughest gun control laws.
Minns said a full inquiry will be conducted into the incident.