AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
At least 11 people were killed and several others wounded in a mass shooting in Sydney, Australia. Two gunmen targeted a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach and caused hundreds to flee the highly populated area. One of the alleged gunmen was shot and killed. The second has been arrested. Officials are calling the shooting an act of terrorism. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed the nation earlier today.
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PRIME MINISTER ANTHONY ALBANESE: There has been a devastating terrorist incident at Bondi at the Chanukah by the Sea celebration. This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians.
RASCOE: Joining us now from Sydney is Katie Silver, who's been following the story. Welcome to the program.
KATIE SILVER: Thank you for having me.
RASCOE: So what can you tell us about the shooting at this point?
SILVER: Well, the scenes are really horrific. Bondi Beach is a very popular tourist and local spot, particularly Sunday evening, early evening, summertime, just before 7 o'clock local time at night. And the two shooters basically got on this bridge that goes above - it's a pedestrianized area. We understand there was 1,000 people there for this event. It's called Chanukah by the Sea. The - from the pictures I could see, there was a lot of white deck chairs laid out on the lawn for them to be able to sit there and enjoy the event, a very important event in the Jewish calendar. And that's when these gunmen held fire.
So we understand as well that one of them - one has been named. He is from a different part of Sydney, and we understand as well we - sources have told the ABC in Australia that his home has been raided as they try and uncover exactly how this occurred and what went wrong. Police have said that one of these attackers was known to them, but the other wasn't.
RASCOE: Can you share anything about the victims or the condition of those who are injured?
SILVER: So as you say, dozens injured, about 29 in total. We understand two of them were police officers that were shot, and there is a child amongst them. Now, somebody said that the hospitals - they've been taken to nearby hospitals. Somebody described the scenes at one of them as being like a war zone. Some people are in critical condition. The hospitals are overwhelmed. There's ambulances on the scene, and families waiting to learn the outcomes for many of the injured.
Now, from the footage that has been released, it's clear that they were aiming for this specific event, but it does appear as well that the gunfire was somewhat random. And in that sense, it could well be Jewish people as well as those who just happened to be in Bondi. But yes, it is likely to hit the Jewish community harder.
RASCOE: Well, Australia has enacted strict gun control laws. Just how rare are mass shootings in this country?
SILVER: Incredibly rare. So the last time there was a mass shooting in Australia was in an area called Port Arthur. It's a historic town on the state of Tasmania, and dozens were killed. And as a result of that, they enacted huge, sweeping gun reforms, which are largely credited with reducing the incidence of mass shootings. It's very hard for people to own and to obtain firearms in Australia. The licensing is very, very challenging. And as a result, this is a very surprising event for many people.
RASCOE: Yeah. So do we know any more about the gunmen involved?
SILVER: As I say, one has been labeled, but the authorities haven't yet labeled the other. The one that is being held under arrest, he is in critical condition, and we expect more information to come out in the coming days. There is a chance as well - authorities haven't ruled out there might be more people involved.
RASCOE: That's Katie Silver, a reporter based in Sydney, Australia. Thank you so much.
SILVER: Thanks for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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