Ukrainian-Born Victim Among Those Killed in Sydney Hanukkah Attack
A Ukrainian-born Holocaust survivor was killed in Sydney after stepping in front of his wife during a deadly shooting at a Hanukkah celebration.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Daily Mail.
The victim was fatally shot while trying to protect his wife, Larisa Kleitman, as gunmen opened fire near the Bondi Pavilion in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on Sunday afternoon. The area was hosting a Jewish festival and a children’s party at the time of the attack.
“He stood up to shield me and was shot in the back of the head,” Kleitman was quoted as saying.
The couple had travelled from the suburb of Matraville to attend the Hanukkah event. Married for nearly 50 years, they emigrated to Australia from Ukraine and raised two children, becoming grandparents to 11 grandchildren.
Australian police said the attack was carried out by a father and son armed with a rifle and a shotgun. Authorities confirmed that at least 15 people were killed in the assault, which they described as a targeted antisemitic act.
According to The Guardian, the 50-year-old gunman was shot dead at the scene, while his 24-year-old son remains in critical condition in hospital. Police later identified the suspects as Sajid Akram and his son, Navid.
Several others were wounded, including two police officers whose condition is described as serious but stable. Victims ranged in age from 10 to 87.
Witnesses said the shooting lasted around 10 minutes, triggering mass panic as hundreds of people fled the crowded beachfront area during a hot summer evening. Approximately 1,000 people were attending the Hanukkah gathering, held in a nearby park.
Police also confirmed that a 43-year-old fruit shop owner, Ahmed al-Ahmed, managed to tackle and disarm one of the attackers before being shot twice. He has since undergone surgery, and more than A$200,000 (about $132,000) had been raised by Monday through a public fundraising campaign to support his recovery.
Later on Sunday, law enforcement officers searched the suspects’ home located about 36 kilometers west of Sydney’s central business district. Australian authorities say the investigation is ongoing.
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