Opinion | Bondi Terror Massacre And States That Enable Jihad |
Sydney’s Bondi Beach was the scene of a chilling mass shooting during a public Hanukkah celebration. Witnesses say two masked gunmen opened fire on dozens of peaceful Jewish worshippers lighting the first candle of Chanukah on the beach.
Authorities now report at least 15 people killed, including a 10-year-old girl, and dozens wounded.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned it and has advocated for tougher gun laws. The UK Chief Rabbi noted that the attackers deliberately targeted Jews merely for gathering “visibly and peacefully as Jews".
It is Australia’s deadliest terrorist attack in years, and it once again shows how safe spaces for Jewish life are being converted into active crime scenes.
Investigators said the terrorists were a father-and-son team of Islamist extremists. Both were armed with long-barrelled rifles and dressed in black tactical gear.
Police identified them as 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram, Pakistani-origin nationals. Sajid was shot dead by officers at the scene, and Naveed remains in custody in critical condition.
Officials found two ISIS flags in their getaway vehicle and believe both men had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. Remarkably, Australian intelligence had even interviewed Naveed six years ago about ties to a local IS cell.
The father legally owned multiple firearms and reportedly stockpiled explosive materials, indicating this was a premeditated terror operation. Clearly, this was not a random rampage by troubled loners but a coordinated attack by Islamist jihadists emboldened by extremist networks.
This massacre comes amid a disturbing surge of antisemitic violence and Islamist radicalism across the West.
In the United States last year, FBI crime statistics show Jews – only 2 percent of Americans – were the target in 69........