Police say at least 12 people have been killed in a shooting near a Jewish gathering at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

One shooter was killed, while another is in custody.

Authorities say there is no longer an active threat but have urged people to avoid the area.

Warning: This story contains details which may distress some audience members.

Follow our live blog below for updates.

Politicians label attack ‘despicable and cowardly’By Brianna Morris-Grant

We’re getting more reaction from various MPs.

Greens federal senator Mehreen Faruqi said her heart “filled with dread” at the news of the attack.

“I’m absolutely devastated by the horrific violence at Bondi beach tonight,” she said.

“This is an appalling and unforgivable act of violence.

“My thoughts are especially with the Jewish community.”

NSW Minister for Multiculturalism Steve Kamper called the attack “horrific”. 

“What is clear is that the Chanukah Festival and our Jewish community was targeted,” he said in a statement.

“This is a despicable and cowardly act that has no place in our country. It is an attack on the very fabric of our nation.”

He offered “deepest sympathies and condolences” to those affected.

“I would also like to sincerely thank our first responders and brave members of the public who assisted the innocent victims of today’s attack, and showed the very best of our nation,” he said.

“Hate, violence and antisemitism have no place in our nation.”

10m ago

Federal politicians react to attackBy Georgie Hewson

Federal politicians from across the spectrum are responding with a mix of horror, anger and disbelief at the tragedy unfolding at Bondi Beach tonight.

On the opposition side, MPs were quick to call it an attack on Jewish Australians, with senator Dave Sharma, a former ambassador to Israel, labelling it an “appalling and grotesque act of violence seemingly directed at our Jewish community”.

Liberal backbencher Andrew Hastie described the attack as “cold-blooded murder” and said: “I’m pretty sure we can guess what motivated it.”

“This is not the Australia we know and love, and something has got to change,” he said in a social media post.

Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said tonight’s attack had been “foreseeable”, linking it to the “the sordid scenes on the steps of the Sydney Opera House on 9 October 2023”. 

The opposition has previously been critical of the Albanese government’s handling of a wave of antisemitic attacks, largely sparked by the Gaza War.

By national affairs correspondent Jane Norman 

‘Worst fear … becoming reality’: Antisemitism envo By Basel Hindeleh

Australia’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, says the attack “marks the worst fear of the Australian Jewish community becoming reality”.

“A peaceful Chanukah gathering at Bondi Beach was attacked.

“Images emerging tonight are chilling and echo the horrors Australians hoped they would never see here.”

She said this attack “did not come without warning”, referencing protests at the Sydney Opera House and across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

“These are Australian icons. Targeting them is deliberate. This is not random. It is an attack on Australia.”

She said it was time for action to be taken.

“To ordinary Australians, this moment demands clarity. What once seemed distant or uncomfortable can no longer be ignored. Taunts from the Opera House steps, synagogues set alight and now massacres at a celebration form a clear pattern.

“This is not the Australia we know and it cannot be the Australia we accept.

“Australia responded decisively after Port Arthur in 1996. This moment requires the same action. Words are no longer enough.

“An attack on a peaceful Jewish celebration is an attack on our national character and our way of life. Australia must defend both.

“As Australian Jews light our Chanukah candles tonight, we do so with the heaviest of hearts.

Police have removed IEDs from shooter’s vehicle

By Andrew Thorpe

Police say they have managed to remove explosive devices from one of the shooters’ cars.

The devices have been taken to another location inside an armoured vehicle.

More scenes from the aftermath in Bondi

By Jeremy Story Carter

Photos continue to come in from what the prime minister described as a night where “evil” was unleashed on Sydney.

Bondi was ‘absolutely packed’ this afternoon

By Andrew Thorpe

Elise Worthington says she was at Bondi Beach this afternoon for lunch, and it was “absolutely stunning”.

“Just beautiful, filled with families, a sunny day — and we do sadly now know that there is one child amongst those people who have been hospitalised, and it’s just devastating,” she says.

“There were so many people at the beach as well as at this festival. Lots of families, children. There’s a beautiful playground right there.

“I think there’ll be a lot of families holding their children tight tonight and really, really upset about what’s happened here.”

Muslim groups condemn deadly Bondi shooting

By Annabel Bowles

Muslim groups have condemned the terrorist attack in Bondi, extending condolences and support to victims’ loved ones.

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Australia (ACMA) said it is “shocked and saddened at the loss of innocent lives”.

“We are heartbroken by the brutality of this attack on a peaceful community gathering,” ACMA national president Imam Inam-ul-Haq Kauser said in a statement.

“Such acts of violence, targeting innocent people and aiming to sow division and fear, have absolutely no place in Australia. An attack on any community is an attack on all of us.”

Earlier tonight, the Australian National Imams Council shared a statement of solidarity with victims and all affected communities.

“Those responsible must be held fully accountable and face the full force of the law,” the council said.

“This is a moment for all Australians, including the Australian Muslim community, to stand together in unity, compassion, and solidarity, rejecting violence in all its forms and affirming our shared commitment to social harmony and the safety of all Australians.”

Reporting by Millie Roberts

‘Disturbing scenes’ as family members flood St Vincent’s Hospital

By Andrew Thorpe

The ABC’s Elise Worthington is at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, where a large number of victims of today’s shooting have been taken.

She says there are a lot of family members arriving at the hospital hoping to locate their loved ones, resulting in “disturbing scenes” as they’re unable to get the information they need.

“A short time ago, a woman actually left the hospital very emotional and upset and saying that she had been told that her husband had been killed, but she was unable to locate him,” she says.

“We also had an ambulance arrive a few hours ago along with a police escort. There were multiple detectives. The street was closed off and a victim was taken in behind a screen.

“We understand that one of the suspects is being treated in a hospital and is in a serious condition, and at the moment we’re just waiting to hear more information.”

Israel’s foreign minister says Australia not doing enough on antisemitism

By Basel Hindeleh

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has released a statement criticising the Australian government for not listening to warnings about antisemitism.

“Unfortunately, the deadly terror attack in Sydney was expected,” he said in a video in Hebrew.

He labelled the pro-Palestine protests that have taken place around Australia since October 7, 2023 as “antisemitic protests”, and said the protesters called for an “intifada”, a term which means uprising.

“And that’s exactly what happened.

“We warned the Australian government countless times during this period. Unfortunately, it did not do enough.

“The Australian government must come to its senses now!”

Earlier he said he had spoken with David Ossip, president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, to express his “shock” and “convey his support to the community during this difficult time”.

He also criticised a statement from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, saying it was missing the words “Jews”, “Antisemitism”, and “terror”.

Bondi resident ‘bolted’ among hundreds of people ‘running and screaming’

By Annabel Bowles

Bondi resident Dana Farfan was walking down the street with her friend when the shooting broke out.

Here’s how she has described the moment.

“We were walking down the street and we heard a few bangs and we see that there was a Hanukkah festival going on and I was like, ‘Oh, fireworks!'” she told ABC News Channel.

“We jumped a little bit when we heard it because it was very loud … and then I look over and then I see all these people running and screaming.

“I turned to my friend and I grabbed her hand and I said, ‘It’s a shooting. We need to run.'”

Dana said she “bolted for her life” among “hundreds of people just running and running”, before she and her friend jumped into a random person’s car to flee the scene.

“The first car I saw, I just jumped to the car. I banged on the window,” she said.

“I didn’t know what to think. I just went fight or flight.

“I jumped in the car and then the next thing I know, there’s another girl who came in. She jumped on top of us in the car. My friend was on the floor of the car. I was in the middle of the car … and these boys, they start flooring the car.

“I’m terrified. We don’t know what’s going on at this point. We can still hear the gunshots.”

34m ago

Explosives have been moved

Police say the improvised explosive devices located in a car on Campbell Parade have been removed by bomb squad specialists.

It’s understood the IEDs were located close to a bridge where the shooters were firing rounds from.

The devices were transported away from the scene in an armoured car.

The scene is no longer an exclusion zone and has been handed over to crime scene investigators.

Police say an update will be provided early tomorrow morning.

Reporting by Victoria Pengilley 

Motorists told to continue avoiding Bondi areaBy Georgie Hewson

Sydney motorists have been advised to continue avoiding Bondi Beach’s Campbell Parade due to the ongoing police operation.

Transport for NSW says the road remains closed in both directions between Lamrock Avenue and Hastings Parade and is “expected to remain closed for some time”.

Buses are diverting away from Campbell Parade via local roads, skipping a number of bus stops, as emergency services and traffic crews remain on site.

“Bus passengers should consider making alternative transport arrangements including for tomorrow morning’s peak commute,” Transport for NSW says.

Site of shooting swamped with emergency services

Isobel Roe is one of the few reporters left inside the police cordons at the scene.

The ABC reporter says police have just moved most of the remaining media back further.

She says on the ground there is “extraordinarily strong wind blowing sand onto emergency workers and media”.

“In the last hour or so I have been able to see police and ambulance officers coming and going from the playground and park area where this shooting happened,” she says.

“All of the public has been cleared away and it is difficult to see what is happening now that it’s dark, but the area is swarming with emergency services.”

Man who disarmed shooter ‘a genuine hero’, premier says

We had to cut away quite quickly from the NSW premier’s press conference earlier as the PM began his own.

I can take you back to Sydney now, where the premier is still speaking.

He says while the immediate vicinity of the attack is still locked down, there is now no longer an immediate ongoing threat to people in the area.

Private schools in the area will be closed tomorrow, he says, but whether state schools open is still being decided.

Asked for his thoughts on the footage of the man disarming one of the shooters, the premier says it’s “the most unbelievable scene I’ve ever seen”.

“A man walking up to a gunman who had fired on the community and single-handedly disarming him, putting his own life at risk to save the lives of countless other people,” he says.

“That man is a genuine hero, and I’ve got no doubt that there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery.”

No indication of planned follow-up attacks, ASIO chief saysBy Andrew Thorpe

Asked whether ASIO’s reiteration that Australia’s terror threat level remains at “probable” — a 50/50 chance of an attack — is taking into account the prospect of follow-up attacks, Burgess says that designation isn’t directly connected to today’s events.

“That is subject to our ongoing investigation, [but] we have no indications that that is the concern at this stage, but of course we will work 24/7, along with our police colleagues, to make sure that is the case,” he says.

One of the shooters was known to ASIO, but not as an ‘immediate threat’By Andrew Thorpe

Financial Review political editor Phil Coorey asks Mike Burgess whether any of the shooters were on ASIO watchlists.

Burgess says it’s too early to provide those sorts of details, but “like the NSW Police, one of these individuals was known to us, but not in an immediate-threat perspective, so we need to look into what happened here”.

PM says government is continuing to work on special envoy’s report recommendations

The prime minister is asked if the government is going to move on any of the recommendations in the special envoy’s report on antisemitism in Australia in response to the attack.

“Yeah, we’re continuing to, to work on all of those issues, including one of the things that you’ll see is a request that had previously been made to be included in additional funding for security as well,” he says.

“And I know that it is, you know, this is an incredibly tough time for the community to deal with this.

“It’s important that they don’t deal with it alone. That everyone stand with them at this time.”