Australia

Australia has swept to an 82-run win in the third Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval to retain the urn with two matches to spare and leave England facing recriminations over another failed campaign.

Chasing a world record 435 runs to win on Sunday, England battled doggedly on day five but folded for 352 with left-armed quick Mitchell Starc taking three wickets and Scott Boland the last dismissal of Josh Tongue before tea.

“Three-nil is hugely satisfying for many reasons but particularly with how the chat before the series was how equally poised it was going to be,” Australia captain Pat Cummins, who took ⁠six wickets on his return from a back injury, told reporters

“This group’s amazing at just cracking on.”

Much of the talk in the build-up to the Ashes had been the age ​profile of the Australia squad, but Starc said the veterans had proved their worth.

“We do laugh at some of the comments that get back to us about how old we are,” the 35-year-old said.

“I’m sure experience plays a part going through your highs and lows. … That plays a big part in all of this.”

After eight-wicket defeats in Perth and Brisbane, England have now lost the Ashes in three matches for the fourth consecutive tour while losing 16 of their last 18 Tests in the country.

Although two Tests remain, the latest surrender may top the previous tours for sheer disappointment.

There were expectations of a genuine contest, fighting words from England captain Ben Stokes and hope that “Bazball” might win the urn in Australia for the first time since 2010-2011.

All that was swept aside in Adelaide, where England ditched their trademark aggression, reverted to more traditional Test batting and were still beaten convincingly.

“We obviously came here with a goal in mind, and we haven’t been able to achieve it. It hurts, and it sucks,” England skipper Stokes said.

“They’ve been able to outdo us on a much higher level. … I thought we did incredibly well to take us where we did in this fourth innings.

“We couldn’t do what we came here to do, but there was some good stuff to come out of this game.”

The king of Adelaide

On day five while still needing 228 runs to win, England’s hopes were pinned on all-rounder Will Jacks and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith after they resumed on 207 for six.

Jacks turned his ankle when pushing off his crease for a run but battled on for 40 minutes until rain halted play.

England fans cheered, but it was just a passing squall, the ground soon bathed in sunshine.

The Surrey duo brought up a fifty-run partnership with the old ball and were soon spared spinner Nathan Lyon, who came off with a hamstring injury after cutting off a four in the field.

When the second new ball came, Smith attacked with gusto, smashing both Cummins and Starc for back-to-back fours.

But with the deficit trimmed to 150 runs, he threw the bat at a Starc delivery for a third time in succession and was caught for 60 by a ‌back-pedalling Cummins at mid-on.

Jacks played a steadier hand with tailender Carse, who finished 39 not out and hung ⁠tough with the all-rounder for 52 runs.

Home fans shifted uncomfortably in their seats as the pair reduced the deficit to under 100 runs, but Starc returned and Marnus Labuschagne flew in the slips to snuff out the danger.

Jacks, on 47, drove at a Starc ball that moved away off the seam, and Labuschagne dived to his left for another terrific one-handed catch, having removed Ollie Pope with a screamer in the slips on day ‌four.

Jofra Archer then tried to slog Starc but sent the ball down the throat of Jake Weatherald at deep point to leave England one wicket from defeat before Boland had Tongue sending another slips catch to Labuschagne.

Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey was named Man of the Match for a first-innings 106 and 72 in the second while Travis Head set up ‍the victory with 170 in the third innings, his fourth consecutive Test ton at Adelaide Oval.

“If he wasn’t before, he’s the king of Adelaide,” Starc said of Head, who also scored a match-winning 123 in Perth.

“He’s not going to have to pay for another beer [here]. I don’t know how he does it, but jeez, it’s bloody good to ‌watch.”

Prior to this series, the 34-year-old agreed a new England central contract that will run until the end of the next Ashes in the UK in 2027.

This series loss, completed in only 11 days of cricket across the first three Tests, is likely to put pressure on the positions of McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key.

Given Stokes’ influence and importance to the England team, the Durham man would probably be given the opportunity to continue as captain if he wants the role.

He has a chequered injury history – Stokes has been dogged by knee, hamstring and shoulder problems over the past two years.

And the captain has noticeably devoted a lot of emotional energy to this series. On being dismissed in the second innings of the second Test in Brisbane, then again in the first innings in Adelaide, he threw his bat in the air in frustration.

Asked if he still has the energy for the job, Stokes replied: “Absolutely.”

After making 83 in more than five hours at the crease in the first innings, Stokes did not bowl on the third day in Adelaide, before taking the ball at the beginning of day four.

“I just didn’t feel right,” he said. “I knew I still had a big role to play so I didn’t want to expose myself.

“I felt like I was going to snap every time I ran after a ball, so I just looked after myself.

“I had a good night’s kip, woke up next morning and I was good to go again, but I actually listened to the advice that was given to me for a change from a few of the senior boys.”

England’s Bazball regime is in tatters as yet another Ashes in Australia was lost in three Tests.

The tourists were defeated by 82 runs on the fifth day of the third Test in Adelaide to go 3-0 down and extend a winless run in this country to 18 matches.

Australia were delayed by a 40-minute rain shower, England pair Jamie Smith and Will Jacks, and a hamstring injury to spinner Nathan Lyon.

Smith had 60 when he miscued Mitchell Starc. Jacks battled past lunch for his 47 then edged the same bowler to first slip, where Marnus Labuschagne again took a breathtaking catch.

When Josh Tongue edged Scott Boland to Labuschagne, England were all out for 352 and their misery in this country prolonged to 14 years and counting.

This was supposed to be England’s opportunity to finally compete in Australia, the most highly-anticipated Ashes in recent memory.

Instead it has turned into the worst tour in recent times, leaving the futures of captain Ben Stokes, head coach Brendon McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key in doubt.

England have surrendered the chance to win the Ashes in only 11 days of cricket and now must find a result in either Melbourne or Sydney to avoid the ultimate humiliation of a 5-0 clean sweep.

This is the fourth successive Ashes tour in which England have lost the first three Tests. By the time Australia visit the UK in 2027, it will be 12 years since England’s previous Ashes win.

Who is in charge of England by then will come in for intense debate. Stokes and McCullum have contracts until the end of that series. In theory, Key has most sway over the fate of both men, but is probably under more pressure than either.

This is a stunning win for the Australians, who began the series with questions over selection and the age of their squad.

Captain Pat Cummins missed the first two Tests, Josh Hazlewood is out for the entire series, Lyon was omitted for the second Test and Steve Smith is absent in Adelaide.

Australia have still been far too good for England, as they have been on home turf since 2011.

How do we talk about antisemitism after the Bondi shooting?

Na’amod co-founder Em Hilton, raised in Bondi, says Jews must resist retreat, find moral courage, and build bonds with Muslims, Palestinians, and other threatened communities.

Albanese said Australia has more guns now than 30 years ago, when the country’s deadliest-ever mass shooting took place.

Australia will launch a national gun buyback scheme, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced, as the country continues to come to terms with the deadly attack on a Jewish holiday event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead.

Albanese called the plan the country’s biggest gun buyback since 1996 – the year of Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in modern history, the Port Arthur massacre in the island state of Tasmania – and said authorities will purchase surplus, newly-banned and illegal firearms.

“Right now, there are more guns in Australia than there were during Port Arthur. We can’t allow that to continue,” Albanese told a news conference on Friday, adding that there are currently more than four million firearms in the country.

“Non-citizens have no need to own a gun. And someone in suburban Sydney has no need to own six … The terrible events of Bondi show we need to get more guns off our streets,” he said.

Albanese added that authorities in Australia’s states and territories will be tasked with collecting the weapons and processing payments for surrendered firearms under the scheme. Federal police will then be responsible for destroying them.

“We expect hundreds of thousands of firearms will be collected and destroyed through this scheme,” Albanese added.

Aided by some of the toughest gun restrictions globally, Australia has one of the lowest gun homicide rates in the world.

Restrictions were tightened after a lone gunman, armed with semiautomatic weapons, killed 35 people at the Port Arthur tourist site almost 30 years ago.

The massacre shocked the country, with authorities soon after launching a major gun amnesty and buyback scheme that removed more than 650,000 newly-prohibited firearms from circulation.

‘We need to do more to combat this evil scourge’

Sunday’s shooting in Sydney’s Bondi Beach area – in which two attackers, named as father and son Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram, went on a shooting spree and killed 15 people – has had a similarly jolting impact on Australian society as the Port Arthur massacre and prompted self-reflection.

Albanese said 50-year-old Sajid – who was shot dead at the scene – and 24-year-old Naveed – who was charged with “terrorism” and murder offences after he awoke from a coma on Tuesday – were inspired by “Islamic State ideology”.

On Thursday, Albanese announced tougher hate speech laws as he acknowledged the country had experienced a rising tide of anti-Jewish hate since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, and Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Albanese said rising anti-Semitism in Australia “culminated on Sunday in one of the worst acts of mass murder that this country has ever seen”.

“It was an attack on our Jewish community – but it was also an attack on the Australian way of life,” he said.

“Australians are shocked and angry. I am angry. It is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge, much more,” he added.

The prime minister also announced on Friday that Australia will hold a national day of reflection this Sunday – one week after the mass shooting.

Albanese urged Australians to light candles at 6:47pm (07:47 GMT) on Sunday, December 21 – “exactly one week since the attack unfolded”.

“It is a moment to pause, reflect, and affirm that hatred and violence will never define who we are as Australians,” he told reporters.

Earlier on Friday, hundreds of people plunged into the ocean off Bondi Beach in another gesture to honour the dead.

Swimmers and surfers paddled into a circle as they bobbed in the gentle morning swell, splashing water and roaring with emotion.

“They slaughtered innocent victims, and today I’m swimming out there and being part of my community again to bring back the light,” security consultant Jason Carr told the AFP news agency.

“We’re still burying bodies. But I just felt it was important,” the 53-year-old said.

“I’m not going to let someone so evil, someone so dark, stop me from doing what I do and what I enjoy doing,” he said.

England’s Brydon Carse dismisses Jake Weatherald lbw for one, but replays show the decision should have been overturned as Australia are made to regret their decision not to review, leaving the home side on 8-1, with a lead of 93, on day three of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide.

FOLLOW LIVE: The Ashes third Test – day three

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The Australian government has announced a gun buyback scheme in the wake of the Bondi Beach attack – its deadliest mass shooting in decades.

The scheme is the largest since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which left 35 people dead and prompted Australia to introduce world-leading gun control measures.

Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured on Sunday when two gunmen, believed to have been motivated by “Islamic State ideology”, opened fire on a Jewish festival at the country’s most iconic beach.

On Friday police said a group of men who were arrested in Sydney after travelling from the state of Victoria had “extremist Islamic ideology”.

Police allege Sunday’s attack, which they have declared a terrorist incident, was committed by a father-son duo. Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act. His father Sajid was killed during the attack.

The day after the shooting, national cabinet – which includes representatives from the federal government and leaders from all states and territories – agreed to tighten gun controls.

Speaking to media on Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there are now more than 4 million firearms in Australia – more than at the time of the Port Arthur massacre.

“We know that one of these terrorists held a firearm licence and had six guns, in spite of living in the middle of Sydney’s suburbs… There’s no reason why someone in that situation needed that many guns.

“We need to get more guns off our streets.”

Earlier on Friday, a senior New South Wales police officer told national broadcaster ABC seven men arrested by counter terrorism police in Sydney on Thursday evening may have been on their way to Bondi.

Tactical officers swarmed on the group, who had travelled from Victoria and were known to police there, in dramatic scenes in the suburb of Liverpool.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said “some indication” that Bondi was one of the locations they were considering visiting, but “with no specific intent in mind or proven at this stage”.

Rarely used national security powers were relied upon to swoop before their plans developed.

“We made the decision that we weren’t going to … take any chances in relation to what they might be doing,” he said.

Officers found a knife, but no guns or other weapons, Mr Hudson added.

Dec. 18 (UPI) — Sydney police have detained seven men in a suburb Thursday with officers reportedly ramming a car and detaining the men after a tip about a planned “violent attack.”

The arrests came just a few days after 15 people were killed on Bondi Beach in Australia at a Hanukkah gathering.

The seven men were believed to be traveling from Melbourne to Bondi. The intercepted cars had Victoria plates, which is the state that includes Melbourne, 550 miles from Sydney.

“At this point in time, police have not identified any connection to the current police investigation of the Bondi terror attack,” a New South Wales police press release said.

“Police subsequently intercepted two cars as part of the investigation. As investigations continue, seven men are assisting police with their inquiries,” the release said.

Police didn’t release any more details about the men or the attack plans.

The men were stopped in Liverpool, a suburb southwest of Sydney.

Social media images showed a white hatchback with body damage from a collision that was blocked off by police tape at a Liverpool intersection, The Guardian reported.

Other images showed several heavily armed police in camouflage gear, and men with their hands zip-tied behind their backs lined up against a nearby fence.

Though police said there is no link to the Bondi shooting, Thursday morning Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said to expect more raids in the wake of the Bondi attack.

“In the coming days, the New South Wales Joint Counter Terrorism Team will execute further search warrants to support our investigation. There is a lot of material to be examined, and the AFP continues to work with both domestic and international partners to build a more complete picture of the movements and who the alleged offenders had contact with, both in Australia and offshore,” she said.

Philippine official said ‘a mere visit’ to the country does not support claims the men underwent ‘terrorist training’.

There is no evidence the suspected gunmen in the deadly Bondi Beach attack received military training in the southern Philippines, Manila’s national security adviser has said, as Australia announced plans to introduce measures to tighten the country’s hate speech laws.

In a Wednesday statement, Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano confirmed the two suspects in Sunday’s attack in Sydney, Australia – which saw 15 people killed after gunmen opened fire at a Jewish event – were in the country from November 1 to 28 this year.

Ano said immigration records showed that 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram travelled via the Philippine capital Manila to Davao City on the southern island of Mindanao. He added that Sajid had entered the country on an Indian passport, while Naveed entered on an Australian one.

Ano added that there was “no evidence” that the men had received “any form of military training” while in the country.

“A mere visit does not support allegations of terrorist training, and the duration of their stay would not have allowed for any meaningful or structured training,” he said.

The men mostly stayed in their hotel rooms when in Davao, according to a report by local news outlet MindaNews. Staff at the hotel said the pair checked in on November 1 and rarely went out for more than an hour at a time during their almost monthlong stay.

Australian authorities announced on Wednesday that Naveed Akram had been charged with 59 offences for his role in the attack, including murder and terror charges, when he woke from his coma. Sajid Akram, his father, was shot dead by police at the scene.

Ano also suggested that reports describing Mindanao – a Muslim-majority region in the Catholic-majority country, plagued by a decades-long secessionist conflict – as a “hotspot for violent extremism or Islamic State ideology” were “outdated and misleading”.

“Since the 2017 Marawi Siege, Philippine security forces have significantly degraded ISIS-affiliated groups in the country,” he said, referring to a five-month battle in which the ISIL-inspired Maute group seized the southern city and fought government forces.

“The remnants of these groups have been fragmented, deprived of leadership, and operationally degraded,” Ano added.

A 2014 peace agreement, which saw rebels drop their secessionist aspirations in exchange for a more powerful and better-funded Muslim autonomous region called Bangsamoro, has also brought a degree of calm to Mindanao.

But smaller rebel groups continue to carry out sporadic, deadly attacks across the restive southern Philippines’ region.

‘Also an attack on the Australian way of life’: Anthony Albanese

On Thursday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged to introduce new legislation cracking down on hate speech in response to the Bondi Beach attack, as he acknowledged that Australia had witnessed an increase in anti-Semitism since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, and Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Announcing the new measures at a news conference, Albanese said his government will seek to introduce legislation making it easier to charge people promoting hate speech and violence – including religious preachers – while new powers will be created to cancel or reject visas of people who spread “hate and division”.

The legislation would also develop a regime to target organisations whose leaders engage in hate speech, Albanese added.

Albanese said rising anti-Semitism “culminated on Sunday in one of the worst acts of mass murder that this country has ever seen”.

“It was an attack on our Jewish community – but it was also an attack on the Australian way of life. Australians are shocked and angry. I am angry. It is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge, much more,” he said.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said on Wednesday he would recall the state parliament next week in order to pass urgent reforms on gun laws.

Joe Root avoids being given out for one after review shows an edge behind drops just short of Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey, with England 42-3, still 329 runs behind Australia’s first innings score of 371 on day two of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide.

FOLLOW LIVE: The Ashes third Test – day two

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England’s Jofra Archer gets two wickets in three balls, removing Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green, in the first over after lunch as Australia fall to 94-4 on day one of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide.

FOLLOW LIVE: The Ashes third Test – day one

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Australia’s government is fending off political attacks from inside and outside the country after the Bondi massacre. Israeli leaders and interest groups have been condemned for trying to politicise the killings, as Soraya Lennie explains.

Australia’s spy agency has revealed that one of the men who carried out the country’s worst massacre in three decades was investigated for links to ISIL. Police say Naveed Akram and his father Sajid targeted Jewish Australians celebrating Hanukkah at the country’s most famous beach.

Dec. 15 (UPI) — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday that his government will seek to strengthen Australia’s already stringent gun laws after a father-and-son duo killed 15 people and injured 40 others on Sunday in one of the country’s worst-ever shootings.

“People’s circumstances change. People can be radicalized over a period of time. Licenses should not be in perpetuity,” he told reporters during a Monday press conference.

The shooters have not been identified, although authorities have said the father was 50 years old and the son 24.

They are alleged to have opened fire late Sunday afternoon into crowds of people at the iconic Australian tourist destination. The 50-year-old father was shot and killed by police at the scene. The 24-year-old son has been hospitalized in serious but stable condition.

Authorities are investigating the shooting as a terrorist attack targeting Australia’s Jewish community during Hanukkah celebrations.

Six firearms have been confiscated by the New South Wales Joint Counter Terrorism Team, which is investigating the shooting.

The NSW Police Force said in a statement Monday that three firearms and two improvised explosive devices were located at the scene following the shooting and are undergoing forensic examination.

Search warrants executed Sunday night at two homes, one in Bonnyrigg and another in Campsie, uncovered two additional firearms.

A sixth firearm and a third improvised explosive device were discovered Monday at the Bondi crime scene, NSW Police Force said.

Authorities said earlier Monday that the 50-year-old alleged shooter is a licensed firearms holder and that they are investigating to confirm that the six firearms confiscated are the six he is licensed to have.

Albanese said Monday that he will take to the National Cabinet later that afternoon a proposal to empower agencies to examine what can be done to strengthen Australia’s gun laws.

“If we need to toughen these up, if there’s anything we can do, I’m certainly up for it,” he said.

The identities of the alleged shooters have not been made public. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told reporters that the 24-year-old son is an Australian-born citizen, and that the father had arrived in the country in 1998 on a student visa, which was then transferred to a partner visa in 2001. He has been on resident return visas since.

Asked what country the father was a native of, Burke declined to answer, saying he has not been cleared by police to make that information public.

Albanese said the son was known to police, and first came to their attention in October 2019.

“He was examined on the basis of being associated with others and the assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence,” he said.

The probing of the son was the product of those he was associated with rather than anything he had done, he said, adding that the investigation was conducted over a six-month period.

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon earlier Monday told reporters that “there was very little knowledge of either of these men by the authorities.”

“The person had a firearms license for a number of years for which there were no incidents,” he said.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged a review of his country’s gun laws and added support for Jewish Australians, as his government faces scrutiny following a deadly shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

On Monday afternoon, Albanese faced reporters to answer questions about the shooting, which took place a day earlier, during a local Hanukkah celebration. At least 15 people have died, including a 10-year-old girl, and dozens are reported injured.

“What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of terror, an act of anti-Semitism: an attack on the first day of Hanukkah, targeted at the Jewish community,” Albanese said in prepared remarks, after visiting the crime scene.

“A dark day in Australia’s history, on what should have been a day of light.”

The Australian government has yet to name the suspected attackers, identifying them only as a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son. The father died in a shootout with police, while the son is currently being treated at a local hospital.

Hanukkah is sometimes called the Festival of Lights, and in Monday’s news conference, Albanese encouraged Australians to participate in a show of solidarity with the country’s Jewish community.

“I would urge and join with others who have urged Australians across the country to light a candle, put it in their front window tonight at 6:47pm [19:47 GMT] to show that light will indeed defeat darkness – part of what Hanukkah celebrates, of course,” he said. “We are stronger than the cowards who did this.”

But while Albanese and other officials urged calm, critics questioned whether the government had done enough to curtail both anti-Semitism and gun violence.

Netanyahu spurs scrutiny

One of Albanese’s highest-profile critics in the wake of the attack was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The right-wing Israeli leader blamed Albanese’s centre-left government for failing to protect Australia’s Jewish community. He also linked the shooting to Australia’s recent decision to recognise Palestinian statehood.

“Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on the anti-Semitic fire,” Netanyahu said in remarks directed at Albanese, voicing sentiments he later repeated in a social media post.

“It emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets.”

Those remarks fuelled outrage and accusations that Netanyahu was leveraging the tragedy for political aims.

In a post on social media, UN special rapporteur Ben Saul also criticised Netanyahu for linking Australia’s recognition of Palestinian statehood to Sunday’s shootings.

“I am disgusted that the Israeli PM links Australia’s principled support for a Palestinian State with yesterday’s terrorist attack in Bondi,” said Saul, who also serves as an international law chair at the University of Sydney.

“Australia has taken extensive measures to prevent anti-semitism,” Saul added.

When asked on Monday morning about Netanyahu’s remarks, Albanese said his focus was on bringing people together.

“This is a moment for national unity,” the Australian prime minister told reporters in Sydney. “This is a moment for Australians to come together. That’s precisely what we’ll be doing.”

He also said his government would beef up funding and support to protect Jewish community members, including covering the costs of guard services.

“We’re extending the funding for the National Council for Jewish Community Security and its state-based community security groups, to provide overall security cover to the Jewish community,” Albanese said.

“We’re also working with Jewish community organisations to see how we can best support charity efforts, including through tax-deductible status for donations.”

Australia’s gun reforms under scrutiny

Albanese also told reporters on Monday afternoon that he would be convening a meeting of state premiers to discuss “tougher gun laws, including limits on the number of guns that can be used or licensed by individuals”.

“People’s circumstances change. People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licences should not be in perpetuity,” said Albanese.

His remarks follow questions about the six guns recovered from the scene of the shooting and the revelation that the 24-year-old suspect had previously come under police scrutiny.

Officials have repeatedly said the 50-year-old suspect had “met the eligibility criteria for a firearms licence”, and that the 24-year-old was previously not deemed to be a threat.

Australia introduced some of the world’s strictest gun laws, including bans on automatic and semiautomatic rifles and shotguns, after a shooter killed 35 people in the Tasmanian town of Port Arthur in 1996.

The 1996 reforms, introduced under former Prime Minister John Howard, were hailed as a success after Australia saw no mass shootings occur for close to two decades.

However, according to a recent report from the Australia Institute, the implementation of the laws has lapsed in recent years, with more guns now in the country than before 1996.

On Monday, Albanese said the reforms had “made an enormous difference” and were a “proud moment” of bipartisan action, but that reviews were now needed to ensure better coordination between states.

Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales, where the shooting took place, also told reporters on Monday he would be reviewing gun laws.

“We want to make sure that prospective reform and change in New South Wales has a lasting impact,” Minns said. “It’s not the last time I’ll be mentioning it, and you can expect action soon.”

Sunday’s shooting at Bondi Beach follows several other mass shootings in recent years, including a 2022 attack in Wieambilla, Queensland, linked to Christian fundamentalist ideology that left six people dead.

An Australian man was also responsible for the attack in 2019 that killed 51 people at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, where semiautomatic weapons are still sold.

Australia’s PM said gun laws would be discussed by the national cabinet today after deadly shooting in Sydney.

England face a series-defining third Ashes Test in Australia, knowing defeat will see their hosts retain the famous urn, but also have the chance of whitewashing their old enemy.

The match begins in Adelaide on Tuesday, where an unassailable 3-0 lead is in sight for the Aussies.

Australia won the first Test inside two days in Perth as Travis Head’s century made short work of his side’s target, while the Aussies needed only four days in Brisbane to secure the second match of the series.

Officials, social media users hail bystander, identified by Australian media as Ahmed al Ahmed, who disarmed gunman.

A bystander who has been filmed tackling and disarming an assailant during a shooting in which at least 15 people were killed at a Jewish holiday event in Sydney, Australia, has been praised as a hero whose actions may have saved lives.

Footage uploaded to social media on Sunday shows a man in a car park running up to a man holding a rifle. He then tackles the armed man, wrestles the rifle away from him and points the weapon back at him.

The video then shows the disarmed man losing his footing and backing away towards a bridge where another shooter was located while the bystander places the gun down on the ground.

One suspected attacker was killed and another was in a critical condition after Sunday’s shooting while police said they were investigating whether a third gunman was involved.

The footage of the bystander’s intervention was shared widely on social media, and many users praised the man for his bravery, saying his actions may have saved lives.

According to Australian media reports, the bystander was identified as Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Sydney man.

Al Jazeera was unable to immediately confirm his identity.

A cousin of al Ahmed was quoted as telling the Australian television news service 7News that he was shot twice during the incident.

“He’s in hospital, and we don’t know exactly what’s going on inside,” the man named Mustafa told the outlet.

“We do hope he will be fine. He’s a hero 100 per cent.”

Al Ahmed was due to undergo surgery on Sunday night, he said.

“Australian hero (random civilian) wrestles gun off attacker and disarms him. Some people are brave and then some people are … whatever this is,” one person said in a post on the X platform that shared the video.

“This Australian man saved countless lives by stripping the gun off one of the terrorists at Bondi beach. HERO,” another said.

Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales state, where Sydney is located, said it was the “most unbelievable scene I’ve ever seen”.

“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.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the actions of Australians who had “run towards danger in order to help others”.

“These Australians are heroes and their bravery has saved lives,” he said at a news conference.

A mass shooting at a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach in the Australian city of Sydney has killed at least 11 people and wounded 29 in what was a grisly, rare occurrence for the country.

Authorities said the “terrorist” incident on Sunday was “designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah” as hundreds of people gathered for an event called Chanukah by the Sea.

Countries around the world condemned the deadly attack.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

The Australian leader condemned the “targeted” attack, saying: “What was unleashed today is beyond comprehension.”

Albanese also addressed the Jewish community directly.

“As prime minister, on behalf of all Australians, to the Jewish community: We stand with you, we embrace you and we reaffirm tonight that you have every right to be proud of who you are and what you believe,” Albanese said. “You have the right to worship and study and work and live in peace and safety.

“You should never have to endure the loss that you have suffered today. We will dedicate every resource required to make sure you are safe and protected.”

New Zealand

In neighbouring New Zealand, Chris Luxon, its prime minister, reiterated the two countries’ close bond.

“Australia and New Zealand are closer than friends. We’re family. I am shocked by the distressing scenes at Bondi, a place that Kiwis visit every day. My thoughts and the thoughts of all New Zealanders are with those affected,” Luxon said.

United States

The US “strongly condemns” the attack, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

“Antisemitism has no place in this world. Our prayers are with the victims of this horrific attack, the Jewish community, and the people of Australia,” he wrote in a post on X.

United Nations

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “horrified” by the “heinous” shooting.

“I am horrified and condemn today’s heinous deadly attack on Jewish families gathered in Sydney to celebrate Hanukkah,” he posted on X.

“My heart is with the Jewish community worldwide on this first day of Hanukkah.”

Israel

Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the attack as “cruel”.

“Our brothers and sisters in Sydney have been attacked by vile terrorists in a very cruel attack on Jews who went to light the first candle of Hanukkah on Bondi Beach,” Herzog said in a statement.

“Time and again we called on the Australian government to take action and fight against the enormous wave of antisemitism that is plaguing Australian society,” he also said in a post on X.

At least one Israeli national is among those who have been killed in the shooting, according to a statement by Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

It also said that an Israeli national was wounded.

Palestine

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the shooting and said it “reiterates its firm rejection of all forms of violence, terrorism and extremism, which contradict humanitarian values”.

It expressed its “full solidarity” with “friendly Australia”.

United Kingdom

Keir Starmer, the UK’s prime minister, stated: “Deeply distressing news from Australia. The United Kingdom sends our thoughts and condolences to everyone affected by the appalling attack in Bondi Beach.”

Britain’s King Charles

Charles, the ceremonial head of state for Australia, reacted to the deadly shooting in Bondi Beach.

“My wife and I are appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack on Jewish people attending Chanukah celebration at Bondi Beach,” the king said in a statement posted on X.

Germany

Friedrich Merz, Germany’s chancellor, said he was shocked by the incident.

“The anti-Semitic attack at Bondi Beach during Hanukkah leaves me utterly shocked. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. This is an attack on our shared values. We must fight anti-Semitism – here in Germany and around the world,” Merz said.

France

Emmanuel Macron, France’s president, said his country would continue to fight against anti-Semitism.

“France extends its thoughts to the victims, the injured and their loved ones. We share the pain of the Australian people and will continue to fight relentlessly against anti-Semitic hatred, which hurts us all wherever it strikes,” Macron said.

The Netherlands

Dick Schoof, the Dutch prime minister, stated: “Shocking and alarming reports from Australia of a horrific attack in Sydney that has left many people dead or injured. I have conveyed my sympathy and support to Prime Minister Albanese on this dark day for Australia.”

Finland

Alexander Stubb, Finland’s president, extended his condolences to Australia’s Jewish population.

“Tonight’s terrorist attack on the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach was shocking and devastating. Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims as well as the whole Jewish community in Australia,” Stubb said.

Iran

Tehran denounced the “terror” incident, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said.

“We condemn the violent attack in Sydney, Australia. Terror and killing of human beings, wherever committed, is rejected and condemned,” Baghaei said on X.

European Union

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “shocked” by the shooting.

“I send my heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.”

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said the “appalling act of violence against the Jewish community must be unequivocally condemned”.

Norway

Jonas Gahr Store, Norway’s prime minister, said he was “shocked by the horrific attack at Bondi Beach, Australia, during a Jewish Hanukkah event”.

Italy

Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, said she “firmly” condemns “any form of violence and anti-Semitism”.

“Italy expresses its sorrow for the victims, stands in solidarity with their relatives, the injured and the Jewish communities, and renews its friendship towards the Australian people,” Meloni said.

Spain

Jose Manuel Albares, Spain’s foreign minister, said he was “horrified” by the attack.

“My solidarity with the victims and their loved ones, with the people and government of Australia. Hate, anti-Semitism and violence have no place in our societies.”

Republic of Ireland

Helen McEntee, Ireland’s foreign minister, said: “I want to express my shock and horror at the anti-Semitic attack on a Jewish community celebrating first day of Hanukkah. … All my thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones and the people of Australia.”

Qatar

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the attack and extended its condolences to the families affected.

“Qatar renews its position condemning violence, terrorism and criminality whatever the motives,” the ministry said.

Turkiye

The Turkish Foreign Ministry “strongly condemned” the attack.

It offered condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to the Australian people, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

“As Turkiye, we reiterate our principled stance against all forms and manifestations of terrorism and our commitment to cooperation in combating this global threat,” the ministry said in a statement.

Lebanon

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said: “Just as we condemn and reject attacks on any innocent civilian in Gaza, southern Lebanon, or any region of the world, we condemn, by the same principle and duty, what happened in Sydney.

“The responsibility for these tragedies lies with the systems that spread ideas of hatred, extremism, rejection of the other, and the violent pursuit of religious, ethnic, or political monopoly systems … Just as it falls on what fuels those contexts of injustice, oppression, and absence of justice in our current world.”

UK’s chief rabbi

The UK’s chief rabbi has called the shooting an “unspeakable tragedy”.

In a social media post, Ephraim Mirvis, who serves as the head rabbi for the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, said: “Absolutely heartbreaking news is emerging of an unspeakable atrocity.”

The rabbi called for people to “join me in praying for everyone affected by this heinous act.”

Australian National Imams Council

A major Australian Muslim organisation condemned the Bondi Beach shooting as a “horrific” act of violence.

“Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those who witnessed or were affected by this deeply traumatic attack,” the Australian National Imams Council said in a statement.

“This is a moment for all Australians, including the Australian Muslim community, to stand together in unity, compassion, and solidarity,” it added.

Muslim World League

The Muslim World League said it “strongly condemns the terrorist attack targeting a gathering of Australian citizens in Sydney”.

In a statement, the international non-governmental Islamic organisation quoted its Secretary General Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa as saying that Muslim people “reject terrorism and violence in all their forms”.

Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the kingdom condemns the “terrorist attack” in Sydney and reaffirmed its stance against all “forms of violence, terrorism and extremism”.

The kingdom said it wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

United Arab Emirates

The UAE’s Foreign Ministry said the country “strongly condemns such criminal acts” and maintains its consistent rejection of “all forms of violence and terrorism” aimed at undermining security and stability.

“The Ministry also expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, and to the government and people of Australia, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured,” it said in a statement.

Jordan

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, with ministry spokesperson Fouad al-Majali affirming the country’s full solidarity with “friendly Australia” and its rejection of “all acts of violence and terrorism” that seek to destabilise security.

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani

Mamdani called the attack a “vile act of anti-Semitic terror”.

“Another Jewish community plunged into mourning and loss, a holiday of light so painfully reduced to a day of darkness,” he said. “This attack is merely the latest, most horrifying iteration in a growing pattern of violence targeted at Jewish people across the world.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared the shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach a ‘terrorist’ attack targeting a Jewish community event. New South Wales police say at least a dozen people were killed by two gunmen at the scene.

At least 11 people have been killed and more than two dozen wounded in a mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Australian officials said, adding that one of the suspected attackers was killed while another one was in critical condition.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said on Sunday, 29 people were injured, including two police officers, in what he declared a “terrorist incident”.

The shooting occurred at about 6:47pm (07:47 GMT) near the Bondi Pavilion during a Hanukkah celebration attended by more than 1,000 people, Lanyon said.

“I’ve also authorised special powers under Section 5 and Section 6 to ensure that if there is a third offender – and we are currently investigating that at the moment – we will make sure that we prevent any further activity. Section 6 allows us to investigate today’s incident,” he said.

In a televised news conference, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the deadly shooting a “targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah”.

Albanese said the “evil” that was unleashed at Bondi Beach is “beyond comprehension”.

“An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian, and every Australian tonight will be – like me – devastated by this attack on our way of life.”

One of the world’s most famous beaches, Bondi is typically crowded with locals and tourists, especially on warm weekend evenings.

Video shared on X shows the dramatic moment a bystander disarms a gunman during a mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that has left a dozen people dead and injured. The suspect gets away then joins another shooter who continues firing from a bridge.