According to Sky News, a father (50-year-old Sajid Akram) and son (24-year-old Naveed Akram) have been identified as the suspected shooters who opened fire on the crowd from a footbridge leading over a car park, killing at least 16 people.
“Hate breeds violence and terror. The antisemitic attack that took place in Australia is a tragic example of this. We firmly condemn this act and express our full solidarity with the victims,” said Maciej Wewiór, spokesperson for the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We always oppose violence against the innocent, regardless of its motivation,” he added.
In a comment to Polish Radio, Wewiór confirmed that no Polish citizens were among the victims.
The attackers targeted participants of the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney.
A total of 16 people were killed, including one of the assailants, while the other was captured. Fourty two people were hospitalized.
Australian police have classified the incident as a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community. Immediately after the shooting, improvised explosive devices were found in one of the attackers’ vehicles.
Chabad-Lubavitch of Bondi confirmed that among the victims were Rabbi Eli Shlanger, a 41-year-old assistant rabbi who was on stage leading the Hanukkah ceremony, and 87-year-old Alexander Kleytman, a Ukrainian-born Holocaust survivor and grandfather of 11 grandchildren.
The attack also claimed the life of 10-year-old Matilda, a student at the Harmony Russian School in Sydney.
BBC reports that in response to the attack, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans to tighten the country’s gun ownership regulations.
Aftermath shooting at Bondi Beach. Photo: BIANCA DE MARCHI AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT/PAP/EPA
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Source: IAR/X/@RzecznikMSZ/@EylonALevy/Sky News/BBC