Rich Preston
BBC News

As we've reported, New South Wales Police have declared tonight's incident at Bondi Beach, in which 11 people were killed as well as one of two gunmen, a terrorist attack.

Terrorism in Australia is defined under the country's Criminal Code Act 1995.

It is an act which:

• Causes death or serious harm, or endangers a person's life, causes serious damage to property, causes a serious risk to the health or safety of the public, or seriously interferes with critical infrastructure; and
• Is done intending to advance a political, religious or ideological cause; and
• Is done with the intention to intimidate the public (including a section of the public), or to coerce, or influence by intimidation, any government of any country or of a part of a country.

A person found guilty of committing a terrorist act could face up to life imprisonment.

The UN chief Antonio Guterres says he is "horrified" by the shooting at Bondi Beach.

"I am horrified and condemn today’s heinous deadly attack on Jewish families gathered in Sydney to celebrate Hannukah," he posts on X.

"My heart is with the Jewish community worldwide on this first day of Hannukah, a festival celebrating the miracle of peace and light vanquishing darkness."

Alex Akhurst
UGC & Eyewitness, BBC Verify

BBC News has spoken to Danny Clayton, a broadcast journalist who was at the beach and witnessed the events from the Bondi Pavilion.

A video shared by Clayton shows police responders running down the beach. One officer tells beachgoers to "stay there" and "hide behind" a nearby wall.

Clayton says he is still processing what happened.

He says he heard gunfire and watched as "a huge amount of panic occurred". People were leaving the scene, some with strollers, and some crashed their cars, he adds.

“There were two gunmen, and they were shooting down onto a group of people," he says.

He also describes the suburb being "lit up" with police cars, responders and helicopters.

“The chaos that happened just after the gunshots was catastrophic; there were multiple people that were wounded,” he says.

Global leaders are reacting to the shooting at Bondi Beach, with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying the UK "will always stand with Australia and the Jewish community".

"The news that the Bondi beach attack was an antisemitic terrorist attack against Jewish families at a Chanukah event is sickening," Starmer writes on X.

He says the government is actively working with the CST, the UK's Jewish security organisation, on the policing of Chanukah events.

French President Emmanuel Macron says: "In Sydney, an antisemitic terrorist attack struck families gathered to celebrate Hanukkah.

"We share the pain of the Australian people and will continue to fight relentlessly against antisemitic hatred, which hurts us all, wherever it strikes."

Lucy Manning
Special correspondent

A Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach, a Yom Kippur service at Heaton Park Synagogue, Simchat Torah in Israel on 7 October 2023.

Three Jewish festivals and three deadly attacks on Jewish people across different continents. The commonality: the desire to murder Jews. It is an attack that again reverberates across Jewish communities worldwide.

Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of lights, marking the miracle where the oil to light the Hanukkah lights that should have only lasted one night lasted for eight nights. It is a time of joy and celebration, a time of presents and of family, particularly loved by children. It is a time when the light is supposed to extinguish the darkness. But yet again, the darkness of antisemitism, of the hatred towards Jews and a murderous intent to kill them, whatever country they live in, overshadows the community’s festivals.

It will almost certainly be felt by every Jew across the world, who again today feel less safe.

As in Australia, here in the UK, in cities with Jewish communities, there will be the public lighting of the Chanukiah (the Hanukkah menorah) which holds the candles. The Community Security Trust, which helps protect the British Jewish community, says there are discussions to increase security and policing at Hanukkah events in the UK.

It is also a tradition to place the candles in windows of homes, to publicly say to the world even in the darkest of times: there is light.

An eyewitness who was packing up his belongings after a day on Bondi Beach as the shooting started tells BBC News he initially thought the shots were fireworks.

"Not in a million years did I think something like a shooting would happen in Bondi," says Marcos Carvalho.

He adds that as people on the beach started to realise what was happening, "everyone started running".

"I started running for my life towards the North Bondi grassy knoll," he says, adding that he and a few other people then hid behind an ice cream van.

After emergency services arrived and the gunfire stopped, Carvalho says he tried to find a way home but passed the area where the incident had unfolded and saw "bodies lying on the floor".

Katy Watson
Australia correspondent, reporting from Bondi Beach

Several police rescue vans have pulled up in the car park, close to the bridge where the gunmen were shooting - and close to a car that was found to have improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

We’ve been told by police that the devices have been secured, they are being removed, it’s no longer an exclusion zone here, it’s a crime scene - but police investigators are expected to remain on site throughout the night.

Verified video shows at least seven bodies at Hanukkah eventpublished at 12:04 GMT 14 December 2025

12:04 GMT 14 December 2025

By Benedict Garman

Very graphic video from the scene of today’s shooting shows at least seven bodies lying motionless on the ground at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach Park.

In the footage, one person has their face covered with a jacket and is surrounded by blood. Several people are attempting CPR as sirens, shouts and cries can be heard. Bloodstains are visible on the grass.

The video has been geolocated to a picnic bench at the site of the “Chanukah by the Sea 2025, external” event which was taking place next to a children’s playground. The victims are seen lying between white tents and gazebos.

Two attackers were filmed firing from a bridge less than 100m (328 feet) away, where they were later stopped by police.

It's nearing 23:00 in Sydney, almost five hours after a shooting at Bondi Beach which left 11 civilians dead as well as one of the alleged shooters.

We're getting fresh pictures from the area tonight with a heavy police presence at the world-famous location.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, DEAN LEWINS/EPA/Shutterstock

We've just heard from New South Wales authorities on the incident at Bondi Beach - here's what we've learned:

• The death toll has risen to 12, Premier Chris Minns said, adding that the attack was "designed to target Sydney's Jewish community"

• Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon officially declared it as a terrorist incident, adding that there were well over 1,000 people at the site, many celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah
• Lanyon said 29 people have been taken to hospital, including a child - among them are two police officers who are in "serious, verging on critical" condition and both are in surgery
• Of the two gunmen, one is dead and the other is "in a serious condition in hospital", Lanyon said
• Police are not releasing information on the gunmen at this time - but Lanyon added they are investigating if a third gunman was involved

• Police found an "improvised explosive device in a car which is linked to the deceased offender" - a rescue bomb disposal unit is at the scene in Campbell Parade in Bondi
• Minns paid tribute to a man filmed wrestling with one of the suspected attackers and taking his gun away

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is simultaneously giving a news briefing.

He calls the Bondi Beach shooting a targeted attack on Australians on a day which should be a "day of joy".

"An act of evil antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation," he adds.

Albanese says there's no place for this "vile act of violence and hate".

We'll bring you more from his statement soon.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns says he has spoken to the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, who offered all his support to the state.

"This is a terrible night for Sydney," Minns says, and calls for unity.

He adds that there will be a full inquiry into the incident.

Anthony Albanese is also speaking now - we’ll bring you his lines shortly.

Tiffanie Turnbull
BBC News, Sydney

Premier Chris Minns pays tribute to the man who was filmed wrestling with one of the attackers, taking their gun and forcing their 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."

Tiffanie Turnbull
BBC News, Sydney

Mass shootings like this are very rare in Australia, the premier points out.

"It's all the more shocking because of that," Chris Minns says.

"if there's changes that need to be made, we will do that immediately."

Commissioner Lanyon says one of the suspects has "very, very little knowledge to the police so he's not someone we would've been looking at, at this time".

He emphasises that: "We are aware of the person, that does not mean there was any specific threat posed by that person".

He adds that the condition of the two injured police officers is "serious, verging on critical" and both are in surgery.

Commissioner Lanyon is now asked about the weapons used.

He says it is "way too early" to give any description of the firearms, other than to say they were long arms.

It is not yet possible to say where the firearms came from and how they came into the attackers' possession, he adds.

Lanyon says police located a vehicle in Campbell Parade in Bondi, which they believe has "several improvised explosive devices".

Lanyon says a rescue bomb disposal unit is there at the moment working on the vehicle.

As we just reported, Lanyon says that the explosive device in the car is "linked to the deceased offender".

Tiffanie Turnbull
BBC News, Sydney

We're hearing more from the NSW Police Commissioner on why the incident has been declared a terror attack.

"The fact that it is the first day of Hannukah, the types of weapons... some of the other items we found at the scene - as I said, we have found the improvised explosive device in a car which is linked to the deceased offender," Commissioner Lanyon says.

Responding to questions from reporters, Lanyon says he is "well aware" that there is a name circulating as the supposed identity for one of the gunmen on social media, but he asks for calm.

"This is not a time for retribution, this is a time to allow the police to do their duty", he adds.

He is asked whether there is still an active threat - he doesn't respond directly but repeats that the police are aware of two offenders and are investigating "thoroughly" the possibility of a third gunman or any other people linked to the shooting.

Commissioner Lanyon says he cannot confirm age ranges of victims, but that he does believe a child was transported to hospital.

Lanyon says "this is a really fluid situation", reflecting the fact that the toll could rise.

Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon says there will be a "significant investigation" led by counter-terrorism. "No stone will be left unturned," he adds.

He says that the second offender behind the attack is in "a serious condition in hospital". We previously heard that the other attacker is deceased.