14 December,2025 06:43 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
PM Modi reiterated that India has “zero tolerance” for terrorism and supports the fight against all its forms and manifestations. File pic
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Australia and expressed solidarity with the people of the country in their hour of grief, news agency PTI reported.
"Strongly condemn the ghastly terrorist attack carried out today at Bondi Beach, Australia, targeting people celebrating the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah," the prime minister said. "On behalf of the people of India, I extend my sincere condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. We stand in solidarity with the people of Australia in this hour of grief," he added.
PM Modi reiterated that India has "zero tolerance" for terrorism and supports the fight against all its forms and manifestations, PTI reported.
The attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach left at least 11 people dead, according to Australian authorities, and was declared a terrorist act. Two gunmen opened fire during a Jewish event called Chanukah by the Sea, celebrating the start of the Hanukkah festival. One gunman was fatally shot by police, while the second was arrested and remained in critical condition.
At least 29 others were wounded, including two police officers, said New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon.
"This attack was designed to target Sydney's Jewish community," said New South Wales Premier Chris Minns. The massacre was declared a terrorist attack due to the target and the weapons used, Lanyon added.
Dramatic footage broadcast on Australian television showed a member of the public apparently tackling and disarming one of the gunmen before pointing the weapon at him. News agency AP reported that the police's operation was "ongoing" and that "a number of suspicious items located in the vicinity" were being examined, including an improvised explosive device found in one of the suspect's cars. Emergency services responded to reports of gunfire on Campbell Parade around 6.45 pm local time, rushing the injured to nearby hospitals. Hundreds had gathered at the event when the attack occurred, turning a festive celebration into a scene of terror.
Mass shootings are extremely rare in Australia. A 1996 massacre in the Tasmanian town of Port Arthur, where a lone gunman killed 35 people, prompted the government to drastically tighten gun laws, making it much more difficult for Australians to acquire firearms. Other notable incidents this century included two murder-suicides in 2014 and 2018, which claimed five and seven lives respectively, in which gunmen killed their own families and themselves. In 2022, two police officers were shot and killed by Christian extremists at a rural property in Queensland. The three shooters in that incident, who were conspiracy theorists targeting police, were also killed by officers after a six-hour siege, along with one of their neighbours.
(With PTI and AP inputs)
