Australia declares day of reflection for Bondi Beach shooting victims
Australia will hold a national day of reflection one week after the Bondi Beach mass shooting, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday as he urged the nation to reject "hatred and violence".
Sajid Akram and his son Naveed are accused of killing 15 people in an antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach on Sunday evening, Australia's worst mass shooting for almost three decades.
Albanese urged Australians to light candles at 6:47 pm (0747 GMT) on Sunday, December 21 -- "exactly one week since the attack unfolded".
"It is a moment to pause, reflect, and affirm that hatred and violence will never define who we are as Australians," he told reporters.
Albanese has vowed to toughen laws that allowed Sajid Akram to own six long-barrelled guns.
"There is something wrong with the licensing laws when this guy can have six high-powered rifles," Albanese said.
A sweeping gun buyback scheme would soon be rolled out in a bid to reduce private armouries of "newly banned and illegal firearms".
Many hundreds plunged into the ocean off Bondi Beach on Friday in another gesture to honour the dead.
Swimmers and surfers paddled into a circle as they bobbed in the gentle morning swell, splashing water and roaring with emotion.
"They slaughtered innocent victims, and today I'm swimming out there and being part of my community again to bring back the light," security consultant Jason Carr told AFP.
"We're still burying bodies. But I just felt it was important," the 53-year-old said.
"I'm not going to let someone so evil, someone so dark, stop me from doing what I do and what I enjoy doing."
- 'Beautiful energy' -
Carole Schlessinger, a 58-year-old chief executive of a children's charity, said there was a "beautiful energy" at the ocean gathering.
"To be together is such an important way of trying to deal with what's going on," she said.
"It was really lovely to be part of it. I personally am feeling very numb. I'm feeling super angry. I'm feeling furious," she told AFP.
Also on Friday, a married couple who were shot and killed as they tried to stop the gunmen at the weekend were laid to rest at a Jewish funeral home.
Bondi locals Boris and Sofia Gurman were among the first killed as they tried to wrestle 50-year-old Sajid to the ground.
Dashcam footage showed retired mechanic Boris, 69, grappling with Sajid as he tries to rip away his weapon.
Wife Sofia, 61, dashed towards him in support.
The couple, who have been widely lauded for their bravery, were shot and killed moments later.
- High alert -
Sydney remains on high alert almost a week on from the shootings.
Armed police swooped on two carloads of men on Thursday evening after receiving a tip they may be plotting a "violent act".
"At this point in time, police have not identified any connection to the current police investigation of the Bondi terror attack," New South Wales state police said in a statement.
Albanese has promised a sweeping crackdown to banish the "evil of antisemitism from our society".
"It is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge," he told reporters.
This included new powers to target extremist preachers and to refuse or cancel visas for those who spread hate and division.
The elder of the alleged shooters, Sajid, 50, was killed in a gunfight with police, but his 24-year-old son Naveed survived.
The unemployed bricklayer has been charged with 15 counts of murder, an act of terrorism, and dozens of other serious crimes.
Authorities believe the pair drew inspiration from the Islamic State group.
Australian police are investigating whether the pair met with Islamist extremists during a visit to the Philippines weeks before the shooting.
(A.Stefanowych--DTZ)
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