JERUSALEM/UNITED NATIONS/SYDNEY - Police in the state of New South Wales (NSW) said on Monday morning that 16 people have been confirmed dead after the shooting.

A police statement said that 14 people died at the scene and two others died in hospital.

The deceased range in age from 10 to 87 years old and includes one of the attackers.

Another 40 people were being treated in hospital for their injuries as of Monday morning, five of whom were in critical condition.

NSW Police Force Commissioner Mal Lanyon told a press conference on Monday morning that the two alleged shooters were a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son.

The 50-year-old, who was killed at the scene, was a licensed firearm holder with six guns legally in his possession, Lanyon said.

The shooting occurred at around 6:47 pm local time on Sunday when the two men opened fire on a crowd of at least 1,000 people who gathered at the beach for an event celebrating the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

Lanyon, who on Sunday night officially declared the shooting as a terrorist attack, said Monday that investigations into motives behind the attack are ongoing.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the attack was an act of "pure evil" and that Australia would do whatever is necessary to stamp out antisemitism.

"It is a scourge and we'll eradicate it together," he said.

It marks Australia's most deadly mass shooting since 35 people were killed at Port Arthur in the island state of Tasmania in 1996, which prompted fundamental changes to Australia's gun ownership laws.  

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Israel issued security warning

Israel issued a security warning on Sunday for its citizens abroad following a deadly shooting attack in Australia, urging them to avoid large gatherings.

In a statement, Israel's National Security Council urged Israelis overseas to "strictly adhere" to precautionary measures, including avoiding large gatherings that are not protected by security forces, such as events at synagogues.

The council also called on Israelis to "remain vigilant around Jewish and Israeli sites and report to security authorities if anything unusual is identified, such as a suspicious person or object."

It said that past experience showed there was a risk of copycat attacks inspired by such incidents, prompting heightened concern for Jewish and Israeli communities overseas.

UN condemns terror attack 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemns the terrorist attack on a celebration of Hanukkah in Sydney, Australia, his deputy spokesperson said Sunday.

The UN chief expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and extends his wishes for a swift and full recovery to those injured, deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement.

The secretary-general stands in solidarity with the people and government of Australia during this difficult time and expresses his solidarity with the Jewish community in the country and worldwide as they gather to celebrate peace and light, the statement said.

The secretary-general unequivocally condemns antisemitism in all its forms and reiterates that attacks on religious communities and peaceful celebrations strike at the core values of tolerance, coexistence and human dignity, the statement said. 

Overwhelming police response 

Authorities in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) on Monday pledged an overwhelming police response to Sunday night's fatal mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney.

NSW Police Force Commissioner Mal Lanyon said at a press conference on Monday afternoon that it is a time for calm and that acts of retribution will not be tolerated following the attack.

"Retribution or acts against any part of any community will not be accepted. We will have a significant policing presence," he said.

Links to IS cell

One of the men allegedly responsible for the fatal mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday night was previously investigated over ties to a local Islamic State (IS) terrorism cell, local media reported on Monday.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), 24-year-old Naveed Akram was in 2019 examined by the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) for his close ties to the Sydney-based IS cell.

The ABC reported that both Naveed Akram and his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, had pledged allegiance to IS and that an IS flag was found in their vehicle at Bondi Beach following the shooting.

Albanese said that flags would fly at half-mast across Australia on Monday to mourn the shooting.

NSW's Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said at a press conference on Monday that 328 officers had been deployed to Sydney suburbs with significant Jewish populations.

Officers from NSW Police and the Australian Federal Police were conducting a major operation at Akram's residence in Sydney's southwest suburbs on Monday morning as well as at a short-term rental in the city's west where the two men were staying.

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Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal told ABC radio that government education in Australia has not been sufficient for people to understand how antisemitism "destroys" the Jewish community.

"It's been seeping into society for many years and we have not come out strongly enough against it," she said.

A report released by Segal in July found that antisemitism is ingrained and normalized in Australia and called for a comprehensive long-term response.

Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia Aftab Malik said in a statement on Monday that there is no justification for the sickening violence or hatred and that the attackers had a clear purpose to spread fear, terror and division within communities.