Bondi Beach shooting live updates: Sydney on high alert for further terrorist acts as multiple people killed, injured in antisemitic attack on Chanukah by the Sea celebration

On Sunday evening, gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah gathering for the Jewish community on Bondi Beach in Sydney, shocking the nation and the world. We’ll be providing live coverage here as the aftermath of the terror attack unfolds.

NSW emergency services are expected to provide an update after 7am this morning.

Until then, here’s a recap of what you need to know:

• On Sunday evening about 6.40pm, gunmen opened fire on a large Jewish crowd celebrating Hanukkah on Bondi Beach in Sydney, shocking the nation and the world.
• Twelve people were killed, including one of the shooters, and 29 were injured, including two police officers.
• Footage from the scene shows at least two men firing what appeared to be rifles from the pedestrian bridge that links Campbell Parade and the Bondi Pavilion, with one gunman moving onto the lawn close to the event during the attack.
• Naveed Akram, 24, has been identified as one of the alleged shooters, but it remains unclear which shooter was killed. The surviving shooter is in police custody.
• Sunday marked the first evening of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival. The shooters appeared to be aiming in the direction of the Chanukah by the Sea festival, where Jewish Sydneysiders had gathered to celebrate the holiday.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the attack was “an act of evil antisemitism, terrorism, that has struck the heart of our nation”.
• Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon declared the attack a terrorist incident and said several improvised explosive devices were found in a car on Campbell Parade, which was linked to the gunman who was killed. The vehicle had been parked near the scene of the attack, and bomb disposal units were deployed, he said.
• The first victim of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack has been identified as Rabbi Eli Schlanger. Schlanger, a husband and father, was an assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi.
• One man and one woman were arrested at an address in Bonnyrigg following the shooting, with police confirming the arrests were related to the attack.

For anyone who needs mental health support, NSW Health’s dedicated Mental Health Line is available 24/7 on 1800 011 511. Lifeline, the national crisis support hotline, is also available 24/7 on 13 11 14.

More coverage on the Bondi terror attack

• The key facts: At least 12 dead, including gunman, after mass shooting during Hanukkah celebration
• Watch: Incredible footage shows the moment a hero bystander tackles one of the gunmen
• How the world reacted: Global leaders condemn ‘deeply distressing’ attack
• How brave victims saved those around them: Sydneysiders defend loved ones and strangers

Rabbi Eli Schlanger was the first confirmed victim of the Bondi attack, with his UK relatives paying tribute to the 41-year-old father of five.

Schlanger’s first cousin, Rabbi Zalman Lewis, told BBC News that he was “vivacious, energetic, full of life and a very warm outgoing person who loved to help people”.

“I know how he would have been reacting and it was something he said recently,” Lewis said.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger (right).Credit: Instagram

“Every human being on earth has a positive way to contribute to making the world a better place, and we just have to keep spreading light. The world is a positive place, and we need to show that and I know Eli would be saying that.”

Lewis said Rabbi Schlanger was born in London before moving with his family to New York as a child. He relocated again when he married an Australian.

The couple welcomed their fifth child only two months ago in October.

“He was incredibly vivacious. He was full of life, a really pleasant, warm person who really loved helping people and was always a real joy to chat with,” Lewis said.

A 12-year-old girl was among those killed at the Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach on Sunday evening, Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin has confirmed.

The Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry told CNN that he “just heard that a friend has lost his 12-year-old daughter who succumbed to her wounds in hospital”.

Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.Credit: James Brickwood

Ryvchin said he knew “everyone who was at the event”, including his close friend, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who is the first confirmed victim of the terror attack.

“The Rabbi… is a dear, dear friend and one of the kindest and most beautiful human beings I’ve ever known,” he said.

Ryvchin said the “close-knit community” looked forward to the Chanukah by the Sea event every year, and that he was scheduled to speak on the night, but had delayed his arrival as he was attending a bar mitzvah.

“This is something that will transform our country. This is something that will crush our community, and we’ll have to rebuild from this.”