Australia will introduce a nationwide gun buyback scheme and tighten firearms laws after a terror attack in Sydney’s Bondi area killed 15 people, the deadliest mass shooting in the country in almost three decades.
The announcement came days after two gunmen opened fire on a crowd of more than 1,000 people celebrating Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, in Archer Park near Bondi Beach on Sunday evening. Dozens were injured in the attack, which authorities say was inspired by terror outfit Isis’s ideology.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, prime minister Anthony Albanese said existing laws had failed to prevent the violence. “The terrible events at Bondi show we need to get more guns off our streets,” he said.
The proposed buyback will be the largest since reforms introduced after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, which prompted Australia to adopt some of the world’s toughest gun controls. Mr Albanese said more than four million firearms are now in circulation nationwide – more than at the time of Port Arthur nearly 30 years ago.
“We know that one of these terrorists held a firearm licence and had six guns, in spite of living in the middle of Sydney’s suburbs,” Mr Albanese said. “There’s no reason why someone in that situation needed that many guns.”
Under the plan, the federal government will purchase surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms, with costs split equally between Canberra and Australia’s states and territories.
The national cabinet has also agreed to cap the number of guns an individual can own, restrict open-ended licences, tighten the types of firearms that can be legally held, and make Australian citizenship a requirement for a gun licence. Work on a national firearms register will be fast-tracked, with regulators given wider access to criminal intelligence.
One alleged gunman, Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, terrorism offences, placing an explosive near a building with intent to cause harm, and displaying a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol.
His father, Sajid, was shot dead by police at the scene. Authorities say the pair acted together, though investigations remain ongoing.
New South Wales Health said on Friday that 15 people were still receiving hospital treatment, with four in a critical but stable condition.
Police also confirmed they were preparing to release seven men detained in Sydney’s south-west on Thursday under rarely used national security powers that allow suspects to be held for questioning for up to a week without charge. The men, who had travelled from Victoria, were intercepted after intelligence suggested “a violent act was possibly being planned”.
New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon said there was “no confirmed link” between the group and the Bondi attackers, though investigators believe they shared elements of “extremist Islamic ideology”.
Only a knife was recovered and no firearms were found. “Whilst the specific threat posed by the males is unknown, the potential for a violent offence was such that we were not prepared to tolerate the risk,” Mr Lanyon said.
Deputy commissioner David Hudson added that Bondi had been one of several locations the men may have intended to visit, but said there was no proven intent at this stage.
Security has been increased across Sydney, including at synagogues and mosques, as authorities seek to prevent further violence. Islamic State has described the Bondi shooting as a “source of pride” on its Telegram channel, though it has not formally claimed responsibility.
As police lifted the crime scene on Thursday, Bondi Beach and surrounding areas gradually reopened. On Friday, hundreds of swimmers and surfers paddled into the water in a large circle to honour those killed, while members of Australia’s Jewish community gathered on the sand for prayers. Names of the victims were read aloud in a show of solidarity.
Community leaders described the scenes as deeply moving amid heightened fears of antisemitism since the start of the Gaza war. “Over the past two years, there’s been a lot of people questioning whether we’re still welcome here in Australia,” Rabbi Yosef Eichenblatt of Sydney’s Central Synagogue told ABC News. “So it’s been so heart-warming to see the outpouring of love and support.”
Funerals have begun, including that of London-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, an assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and a father of five. Addressing mourners, his father-in-law, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, said it was “unthinkable we talk about you in the past tense”.
Tributes have also taken the form of record-breaking public support. More than $5m has been donated through verified fundraising pages, according to GoFundMe.
This includes A$2.5m (£1.2m) raised for Ahmed al Ahmed, a Sydney shop owner who wrestled a firearm from one of the attackers before being shot twice. Presented with an oversized cheque at his hospital bed, Mr Ahmed urged people around the world to “stand with each other”.
Mr Albanese said Sunday would be observed as a day of reflection, with plans for a national day of mourning in the new year, organised in consultation with the Jewish community.
