Bondi Beach shootings: Australia in mourning as first funerals held for attack victims
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Mourners gathered in Sydney for the first funerals of victims of the Bondi Beach mass shooting. The attack, which left 15 dead, has shaken the nation.
Sydney residents gathered on Wednesday to mourn and attend the first funerals for victims of the mass shooting at Bondi Beach. The attack, which claimed 15 lives, is the worst such event in Australia in nearly three decades.
Emotional scenes unfolded outside the Chabad of Bondi synagogue as large crowds came to pay their respects to Rabbi Eli Schlanger. Rabbi Schlanger was among those killed in Sunday's massacre, which targeted Jewish families celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.
Family members were visibly grief-stricken as Rabbi Schlanger's coffin, draped in black velour, was brought into the synagogue. The 41-year-old rabbi, known as the "Bondi Rabbi," organized the “Chanukah by the Sea” event at Bondi Beach and served as an assistant rabbi at the Chabad of Bondi. He leaves behind five children, including a two-month-old son.
The Chabad organization described Schlanger as a devoted chaplain who worked tirelessly to support Jewish life in the Bondi community. During the service, his father-in-law, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, tearfully remembered him as “the best husband, the best father, the best son,” adding, “A day without you is impossible.”
As the funerals took place, Sydney residents continued to express their grief and support by laying flowers and lighting candles at the Bondi Pavilion, near the beach where the attack occurred.
Authorities have stated that the suspected attackers, a father and son, were motivated by “Islamic State ideology.” According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), counterterrorism officials believe the pair received military-style training in the southern Philippines last month, an area known for Islamist extremism.
Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon of New South Wales told a local radio station that Naveed Akram, the younger suspect, had regained consciousness on Tuesday. ABC reported that police are expected to charge him later on Wednesday.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
