Sydney, 15 December 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday condemned the Bondi Beach terror attack as an "act of pure evil" as police confirmed at least 16 people, including one of the shooters, had died in the attack on Sunday.

Two gunmen opened fire on families at the Sydney beach on the first day of the Jewish Hanukkah festival. At least 16 people have died, including one shooter, and 40 were injured in the attack, New South Wales (NSW) police said. Police said the suspected shooters were a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son.

Albanese told a press conference on Monday morning that the day should have been a "joyous celebration" at Bondi, but it had been "forever tarnished" by what had occurred.

"What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of anti-Semitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location." He said Australia would do "whatever is necessary to stamp out" anti-Semitism.

"Australia will never submit to division, violence or hatred and we will come through this together. We refuse to let them divide us as a nation," Albanese said.

"We will dedicate every single resource that is required in responding to this," he added.

"Yesterday was indeed a dark day in our nation's history. But we as a nation are stronger than the cowards who did this," Albanese said as he announced that flags would "fly at half-mast across the country" on Monday.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said Australia needed to "send a strong and clear repudiation" of anti-Semitism in all its forms.

"Wherever it is, we need to fight anti-Semitism. It is toxic. It is cancerous within a community. And as you can see from last night, it leads to devastating, devastating implications for the people of our country."

At a separate press conference later on Monday, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon spoke of an "abhorrent" occurrence on Sunday, as he called for calm. "Retribution or acts against any part of any community will not be accepted," he said.

"We do have a 24-year-old male in hospital at the moment. Based on his medical condition, it is likely that that person may face criminal charges. I'm very mindful of not prejudicing any prosecution of that person if they are put before the court," Lanyon said.

"This is a shocking act of violence, and it needs to be met with an overwhelming government, community and police response," Minns said. "Operation Shelter will be overwhelming."

The premier went on to say that "15 innocent people are dead, one of the perpetrators is dead. Thirty-eight people remain in New South Wales hospitals being treated."

Lanyon confirmed that the older suspect was a member of a hunting club and had held a firearm licence since 2015. "He had a category AB licence which entitled him to have the long arms that he had as registered firearms," the commissioner said.

Australian media reported that the 50-year-old had six licensed firearms.

Minns said that gun laws in the state would change in the wake of the tragedy, "but I'm not ready to announce it today.

"We wannna make sure that prospective reform and change in New South Wales has a lasting impact ... You can expect action soon."

Minns said that, changing gun laws "means introducing a bill to parliament to, I mean, to be really blunt, making it more difficult to get these horrifying weapons that have no practical use in our community."

"If you're not a farmer, you're not involved in agriculture, why do you need these massive weapons to put the public in danger and make life dangerous and difficult for New South Wales police?"

"So I understand, of course I understand, the genuine desire to have information about how the law will change, but we're less than 24 hours into this horrifying crime."

"I want to make sure that legislation and reform that we bring to Parliament makes a big difference, but that's entirely my intention, and my colleagues feel the same way."

For decades, Australia has been as a model of effective gun laws, including penalties for unregistered firearms of up to 14 years in jail.

Gun restrictions were introduced after a lone gunman killed 35 people and injured 23 others at a popular tourist site in the southern island state of Tasmania in 1996 - which became known as the Port Arthur massacre.

Photo: EPA