Death Toll in Sydney Hanukkah Attack Rises to 16

An attack targeting a Jewish gathering at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday killed at least 16 people, including a 12-year-old, government officials and police said.

Police said Monday morning local time that two gunmen — a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son — opened fire at Bondi Beach while the local Jewish community was celebrating the first night of Hanukkah. (Photo: Chris Minns) 

Another 40 people were hospitalized with injuries, including two officers and three children, Emily Mae Czachor reported for CBS News.

Police said Monday morning local time that two gunmen — a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son — opened fire at Bondi Beach while the local Jewish community was celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.

The 50-year-old gunman died, and his son was hospitalized in “serious condition,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said.

The 24-year-old was identified as Naveed Akram, a Pakistani national based in Sydney, according to a U.S. intelligence briefing and a driver’s license provided by Australian police.

One video appeared to show someone wrestling with one of the suspected gunmen and taking his weapon from him.

In the footage, a man jumped up from a crouched position behind a parked car and tackled the suspect, who had just fired his weapon.

Following a short struggle, the man disarmed the suspect, pushed him to the ground, and turned the weapon on him, at which point the suspect stood up and walked in the opposite direction.

The man then lowered the weapon and raised his free hand in the air. Off to the side, one person appeared to be lying unresponsive on the sidewalk beside another vehicle.

The man was identified by relatives to Australian media as fruit shop owner Ahmed al Ahmed, who was described as a “genuine hero.” Ahmed is Muslim.