Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks out as Bondi Beach mass shooting gunmen named
Liv Bridge
Featured Image Credit: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has spoken out on tightening the country's gun laws in the wake of the Bondi Beach shooting.
At around 18.47pm local time on Sunday (December 14), New South Wales police responded to reports of two active shooters gunning down civilians at the popular beach in Sydney, Australia.
More than 1,000 people were celebrating the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah, at Bondi Beach at the time, while the gunmen stood on a footbridge connecting the Campbell Parade to the Bondi Pavilion, supposedly using the vantage point to fire shots and directly target members of the Jewish community.
While cops have declared the incident a terrorist attack, the death toll has tragically increased to 15 at the time of writing.
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Amongst the deceased are a 10-year-old girl, a Rabbi, a retired police officer and a Holocaust survivor.
Now, the pair accused of launching the deadliest attack in the country in decades have been identified as Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son, Naveed.
While Sajid was declared deceased at the scene, Naveed is reportedly in critical condition in hospital.
On Monday (December 15), the Australian PM spoke to reporters about proposing tougher gun laws in the country.
Albanese said he intends to suggest new restrictions which include a limit on the number of guns a licensed owner can have.
"The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws,” Albanese said, per The Independent.
“People’s circumstances can change. People can be radicalized over a period of time. Licenses should not be in perpetuity."
He said he will put the suggestion forward during the national cabinet meeting at 4pm local time.
His comments come as it was revealed that the suspected gunmen have links to the Islamic State, according to cops.
Sajid reportedly arrived in the country on a student visa in 1998, before transferring onto a partner visa in 2001 and later a resident return visa.
He was granted a firearms licence for recreational hunting and was a member of a gun club, reports the BBC.
Meanwhile, his son, born in Australia, came to the authorities' attention in October 2019, Albanese revealed.
The Prime Minister added that the 24-year-old was "examined on the basis of being associated with others, and the assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence."
In another update, the authorities have said Ahmed Al Ahmed, the 43-year-old hero who disarmed a suspected gunman, is thankfully recovering well in hospital after sustaining gunshot wounds.
A video of Ahmed went viral all over the world as the attack unfolded, as he could be seen bravely tackling one of the alleged shooters in a nail-biting clip.
The father-of-two, who owns a fruit shop in Sydney, was seen crouching behind parked vehicles before jumping out to wrestle the gunman from behind.
After a tense few seconds, Ahmed successfully managed to disarm the shooter and turned the weapon to point it at the accused terrorist as he retreated from the bloody scene.
Ahmed, who moved to Australia from Syria in 2006, has been praised for his courageous quick-thinking act that likely saved countless innocent lives.