Bondi Beach shooting latest: Hero who disarmed gunman pictured in hospital - as UK chief rabbi reveals his family survived attack

As the number of people killed in Bondi Beach stands at 15, the shooting is now among Australia's worst mass shootings and certainly the worst in the 21st century.

Shootings are rare in the country, where gun laws have been significantly tightened after a devastating attack in the 1990s.

Here's a rundown of the most prominent incidents so far:

Port Arthur massacre

In 1996, gunman Martin Bryant shot 35 people and injured 23 in the town of Port Arthur on the Australian island of Tasmania. The motivation behind the attack remains unclear.

The attack led to a watershed tightening in Australia's gun laws. Semiautomatic and pump-action shotguns and rifles were banned and over 700,000 firearms were surrendered under a buyback scheme.

Wieambilla ambush

The attack had been Australia's most recent prominent shooting, until the Bondi Beach attack. 

Two police officers were ambushed and killed during a routine visit in the rural settlement of Wieambilla. One civilian also died.

The three attackers were shot and killed by police after an extended standoff. 

The attack was long deemed a Christian fundamentalist terror attack, but an investigation found last month that the trio believed to be acting "defensively within their delusional framework".

Watch: Bondi attackers were father and son

Sydney Lindt Cafe siege

Sydney was previously haunted by another shooting, which took place in 2014. 

A self-styled Muslim cleric held employees and customers at the Lindt Cafe hostage for over 16 hours. He was described as psychopathic and narcissistic.

The attacker shot the cafe's manager before being killed by police while another employee was killed by a stray police bullet.

Other notable shootings included...

• Queen Street Massacre: In 1987, a gunman killed eight people at a Melbourne post office and killed himself after being disarmed;
• Hoddle Street Massacre: A gunman opened fire on motorists and pedestrians in a Melbourne suburb, killing seven and injuring others before capture;
• Osmington shooting: Six people were killed in 2018 when a man shot his wife, daughter and four grandchildren in Osmington, a rural settlement. He killed himself.

People continue to gather at the memorial for the attack's victims at Bondi Pavilion to pay their respects.

The rabbi at Sydney's Central Synagogue, Levi Wolff, lit a menorah, the multi-branched candelabrum closely associated with Hanukkah, at Bondi Pavilion.

People from different faith groups have also been pictured praying. 

In a news conference earlier today, Anthony Albanese shared more details on the background of the gunmen - see our post at 3.12.

Notably, the Australian prime minister also revealed that 24-year-old Naveed Akram, the younger suspect, was known to security agencies and investigated over his links to certain associates.

Watch Albanese's explanation in the video...

Ephraim Mirvis, the UK's chief rabbi, has revealed his family were caught up in the terror attack.

He told Mornings With Ridge and Frost he was flying to Sydney tomorrow after the "devastating" attack to be with the Jewish community in its seven-day period of mourning.

"Last night, my wife was checking up on family of ours - I have a cousin and his wife in Sydney. 'How are you?' And they said they were at the event," he said.

"For 15 terrifying minutes they were hiding under a doughnut stand, as people to their right and left were being shot dead. 

"This morning they went to synagogue to say prayers of gratitude, but they were among the fortunate ones. So we're feeling this very deeply right now."

Asked if he was fearful that a similar attack could happen in the UK, Mirvis said: "I'm fearful for all of our society. This is not a Jewish problem. It's a problem for all of our society."

Watch the full interview

Anthony Albanese has once more underlined his solidarity with the Jewish community targeted in the shooting.

Posting on social media, the Australian prime minister said he lit a candle in his window "in solidarity", as is custom during the eight nights of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

"Tonight and over the coming days, we are holding the Jewish community close," Albanese wrote.

The prime minister faced criticism over his past relationship with the Jewish community, however.

Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, accused Albanese of pouring "fuel on the antisemitism fire" when he recognised Palestinian statehood in September.

During an interview on ABC this evening, Albanese was asked if he accepted a link.

"No I don't," the prime minister responded.

"And overwhelmingly, most of the world recognises a two-state solution as being the way forward in the Middle East."

 The parents of Ahmed al Ahmed, who disarmed one of the gunmen, have also paid tribute to their son's bravery.

His father, Mohamed Fateh al Ahmed, told media in Arabic:

"I feel pride and honor because my son is a hero of Australia."

He said his son was a "hero" who was glad that he saved "innocent souls from these criminals and murderers".

His mother, Malakeh Hasan Al Ahmed, said:

"My son has always been brave, helps people. He likes that."

His parents also shed a light on how their son ended up tackling the gunman.

"His friend told him let's go have coffee at Bondi," his father said.

"They got there and were shocked to see armed men firing their weapons and terrorists."

Al Ahmed, who served with the police, noticed that one of the gunmen was hiding behind a tree and tackled him when he ran out of ammunition, ridding him of his weapon.

While the gunman escaped, the second attacker, who was on a bridge, shot al Ahmed and hit him in the shoulder.

Watch al Ahmed's parents' comments in the video...

This is the first photograph of Ahmed al Ahmed, nicknamed the "hero of Bondi Beach", in hospital.

He has had surgery after being shot while tackling and disarming one of the gunmen.

The photo was posted on social media by the premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, who visited al Ahmed.

In his post, Minns called the 43-year-old "a real-life hero", who saved "countless lives".

Australia has strict gun laws, especially compared to the US.

In Australia, you have to have a "genuine reason" to obtain a firearms licence. The government of New South Wales says such reasons include:

• Business or employment
• Animal welfare
• Recreational hunting and vermin control
• Sport

Australia tightened its gun laws significantly after Martin Bryant killed 35 people with semi-automatic weapons at a tourist spot in Tasmania in 1996.

John Howard, the prime minister at the time, reacted by pushing for tough new national gun laws that made it much more difficult for Australians to acquire firearms.

Twelve days after the shootings at Port Arthur, legislation was agreed that banned most people from owning rapid-fire rifles and shotguns.

In a government buyback scheme, more than 600,000 weapons were handed in and destroyed.

By 2009, there were 0.1 gun murders per 100,000 people in Australia compared to 3.2 per 100,000 in the US, according to contemporaneous data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Since then, there have been mass shootings in Australia, including two murder-suicides in 2014 and 2018 - with five and seven people killed - and a shootout in 2022 between police and Christian extremists, where six people were killed.

The UK minister for victims says security will be increased at upcoming Hanukkah events in response to the Bondi Beach attack.

Alex Davies-Jones tells Mornings With Ridge and Frost that such a precaution is a "sad indictment", but adds it's important that "the Jewish community have all of our support".

When asked if the UK government needs to do more to tackle antisemitism, Davis-Jones says: "We all need to do more."

"We are going further, whether that's with legislation, whether that's with financial support for the Jewish community, whether that's with introducing new offences of protesting outside religious places of worship to protect those who are just seeking to celebrate their faith. 

"There is more that we can all do. And we are going further."

Watch the full interview