Innocent victims of an 'act of pure evil'

THE first of the 15 innocent victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack to be identified include a 10-year-old girl, two rabbis, a Holocaust survivor, a young Frenchman and a photographer on assignment.

- BY CHRIS RICHES

The slaughter at Australia’s famous tourist destination unfolded on Sunday evening as hundreds gathered to attend the Chanukah by the Sea event, marking the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese branded the crime an “act of pure evil” which had “deliberately targeted” the Jewish community.

Heavily armed suspects Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid Akram, 50, allegedly stood on a pedestrian footbridge and cold-bloodedly targeted men, women and children in the crowds.

So far, 16 people have died, including Sajid Akram. A further 42 people, including four children, have been taken to hospital.

The victims range in age from 10 to 87.

‘There are currently five people in critical condition, including two police officers — Constable Scott Dyson, and an unnamed probationary constable reportedly shot in the face.

One of the injured, international human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky, had also survived Hamas’s massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, when invaders targeted the Nova music festival.

Sadness

He said he was out with his family alongside hundreds of other people when the Bondi terror attack unfolded.

Mr Ostrovsky said: “I lived through October 7. Never imagined I'd see this horror in Australia. Bullet grazed my head. Doctors said it was a miracle I survived, but I will make a recovery.”

This is what we know about nine of the innocent murdered victims that have so far been identified:

Matilda, 10:

The youngest confirmed victim was “joyful” 10-year-old Matilda, whose surname we have withheld to protect her grieving six-year-old sister.

Irina Goodhew, who organised a fundraiser for the girl’s mother, wrote: “I knew her as a bright, joyful and spirited child who brought light to everyone around her.”