At least 16 dead in terror attack on Jewish festival

Australia's prime minister condemned "an act of evil antisemitism" yesterday after gunmen opened fire on a Jewish festival at Sydney's Bondi beach, killing at least 16 people, including a child, and injuring dozens more.

- Penry Buckley Anne Davies and Nick Visser Sydney

In the deadliest terror attack in Australia for nearly three decades, two suspects were seen firing dozens of gunshots into a park behind the world-famous beach where hundreds of Jewish people had gathered to mark the first day of Hanukah.

One of the alleged gunmen was also killed. A second was in a critical condition in hospital and investigators were trying to establish whether a third attacker was at large, police said.

Speaking to ABC News early this morning, the New South Wales (NSW) health minister, Ryan Park, confirmed that the death toll of 16 included a child.

He added: "This is absolutely horrendous for the community broadly, but particularly the Jewish community. What we saw last night was the worst of humanity, but at the same time, the very best of humanity."

In what was described as an act of extraordinary bravery, a bystander appeared to wrestle one of the suspects to the ground and disarm him.

Last night the first victim to be named was a London-born rabbi, Eli Schlanger, a 41-year-old father-of-five who was assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi, a Jewish cultural centre. Another of the victims was an Israeli citizen, the Israeli foreign ministry said. France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, confirmed that a French citizen, Dan Elkayam, was among those killed.