"Vile Act Of Antisemitic Terror": Zohran Mamdani On Sydney Beach Shooting

New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has condemned the deadly shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Australia's Bondi Beach as a “vile act of antisemitic terror.”

“The attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney today was a vile act of antisemitic terror,” he wrote on X. “May the memories of all those killed be a blessing,” he said.

At least 15 people were killed, and scores of others were injured after two gunmen opened fire at the Sydney beach on Sunday. Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, were identified as the alleged attackers. Sajid was reportedly shot dead by police at the scene.

Following the attack, Mamdani said he was grieving for those killed and injured and extended his prayers to their families. “I mourn those who were murdered and will be keeping their families, the Jewish community, and the Chabad movement in my prayers,” he said.

The attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney today was a vile act of antisemitic terror. I mourn those who were murdered and will be keeping their families, the Jewish community, and the Chabad movement in my prayers. May the memories of all those killed be a blessing.

While…

— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) December 14, 2025

One of the victims included Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who Mamdani said had deep ties to Crown Heights in Brooklyn. “Another Jewish community plunged into mourning and loss, a holiday of light so painfully reduced to a day of darkness,” he said.

He described the Bondi Beach attack as part of a pattern of violence targeting Jewish people, saying many no longer feel safe openly expressing their faith or worshipping without heavy security.

“This attack is merely the latest, most horrifying iteration in a growing pattern of violence targeted at Jewish people across the world,” he said. “What happened at Bondi is what many Jewish people fear will happen in their communities too.”

Mamdani also spoke of an act of bravery during the attack, referencing a man who held one of the shooters from behind and disarmed him. “On Bondi Beach today, as men with long guns targeted innocents, another man ran towards the gunfire and disarmed a shooter,” he said. The bystander was later identified in media reports as Ahmed al Ahmed, a fruit seller.

Looking ahead to his tenure as mayor, Mamdani said protecting Jewish New Yorkers would be a priority. “When I am Mayor, I will work every day to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe, on our streets, our subways, at shul, in every moment of every day. Let this be a purpose shared by every New Yorker, and let us banish this horrific violence to the past,” he said.

In the hours following the shooting, bomb-disposal teams found and removed a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) inside a vehicle linked to one of the attackers. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it a “dark and evil antisemitic terror attack.”