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US President Donald Trump condemned in the strongest terms “a purely antisemitic attack” after a deadly shooting killed 16 people during a Jewish celebration sent shockwaves through Australia.
Trump echoed global leaders in condemning the attack which took place at the iconic Bondi Beach, leaving dozens injured. Australian authorities are treating the attack as terrorism and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke of “evil antisemitism”.
Speaking from the White House during a Christmas event, Trump said the attack was “horrible” and “purely antisemitic”. The US President added “today we can say loudly we celebrate Hanukkah.”
Trump also referred to a separate shooting at Brown University which killed two and left 9 injured. “I pay my respects to the families,” he said.
Earlier US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the country’s foreign policy chief, said “antisemitism has now place on this world” and “the United States strongly “condemns” it. The Trump administration referred to the shooting as terrorism.
The attack, which killed 11 people and injured another 29, is the deadliest since 1996 in a country with strict gun control laws. Australian PM Albanese vowed to “eradicate” hate crime in the country.
“There is no place for this hate violence and terrorism in our nation. Let me clear: we will eradicate it,” he told a news conference after the shooting on Sunday. Out two gunmen suspects, one is dead and a second one is in serious condition.
Kicker : Attack during ‘Hanukkah by the sea’
New South Wales police issued a warning at 7pm local time on Sunday after reports of an active shooting, urging people to take shelter or avoid Bondi Beach. Eyewitness accounts spoke of panic scenes and chaos as people ran for shelter from gunmen.
Extraordinary footage showed two men carrying assault rifles shooting at people, firing rapid rounds at a crowd in panic. A man was also filmed wrestling with one of the gunmen as he tried to take the rifle away and stop the shooting.
The police saluted his brave act. He has been identified as Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, by Australian media.
A Hanukkah celebration, one of the most important events in the Jewish calendar, was taking place at the famed beach where around 1,000 people showed up to participate.
The investigation continues