Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese apologises to the Jewish community following a deadly Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting that killed 15 people

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has apologised to the country’s Jewish community following a mass shooting at a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach that killed 15 people.

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“As Prime Minister, I feel the weight of responsibility for an atrocity that happened while I’m Prime Minister, and I’m sorry for what the Jewish community and our nation as a whole have experienced,” Albanese said on Monday.

He pledged that the government would work daily to protect Jewish Australians and uphold their rights “to be proud of who they are, to practise their faith, to educate their children and to engage in Australian society in the fullest way possible.”

The attack occurred on December 14, when father and son Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, allegedly opened fire on a family-oriented Hanukkah celebration attended by about 1,000 people.

The pair are accused of meticulously planning the shooting, including firearms training, reconnaissance of the area, and recording a video denouncing “Zionists.”

Sajid Akram was shot dead by police at the scene, while Naveed Akram, an Australian citizen, was hospitalised and later charged with terrorism offences, 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of grievous bodily harm with intent to murder, and displaying symbols of a prohibited terrorist organisation. Two Islamic State flags were recovered from his vehicle.

Among the victims were a 10-year-old girl, a Holocaust survivor, and a married couple who confronted one of the attackers.

Funerals have already been held for most of the victims, including young Matilda, 87-year-old Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, and Bondi residents Boris and Sofia Gurman.

Authorities also revealed that the Akram duo had recently returned from a four-week trip to the southern Philippines.

Investigations noted that Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, ASIO, had interviewed both men in 2019 over concerns of radicalisation but initially concluded they posed no threat.

Despite this, Sajid Akram later obtained a gun licence permitting ownership of six rifles, three of which were recovered at the scene.

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The shooting is considered one of the deadliest mass attacks in Australian history, prompting calls for tightened gun laws and national vigils to honour the victims.

AFP