US President Donald Trump on Sunday condemned the deadly mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach, calling it “a purely antisemitic attack.” The death toll in the shooting, which took place on the first day of a Jewish festival in Sydney, has risen to 15 now. 40 others were injured in the mass shooting involving two gunmen who opened fire during Hanukkah celebration.
“That was a terrible attack, 11 dead, 29 badly wounded. And that was an antisemitic attack, obviously,” Trump said during a Christmas celebration at the White House.
Trump also hailed the man in Australia who charged at the gunmen to disarm them, saving many lives. A viral video shows the 43-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed tackling the gunmen from behind.
“Very, very brave person, who went and frontally attacked one of the shooters and saved a lot of lives. Very brave person, right now in the hospital, wounded. Great respect to the man that did that,” the US President added.
.@POTUS addresses the weekend’s loss of life: “I want to to just pay my respects… Brown University — nine injured and two are looking down on us right now from Heaven. Likewise, in Australia, as you know, that was a terrible attack… In Syria, we [lost] three great Patriots.” pic.twitter.com/deUEMPlkOk
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 14, 2025
Trump has also said that people celebrating Hanukkah should not be worried about their safety and should “celebrate proudly.”
After a phone call with the US President, a Fox News correspondent conveyed Donald Trump’s message to Americans marking Hanukkah. “Straight from the president, his message to people celebrating Hanukkah today, he said, ‘they do not need to be worried. They should celebrate proudly, and they should be proud of who you are, celebrate proudly,” the correspondent stated.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Bondi Beach on Monday morning, where he laid flowers near the site of the attack. Mourners, including some wearing kippah (skullcaps worn by some Jewish men), were seen placing candles and flowers, along with Israeli and Australian flags.
Earlier, Albanese described the incident as a “dark moment for our nation” and said police and security agencies were thoroughly examining the motive behind the attack.
“What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location,” Albanese told reporters.
“The Jewish community are hurting today. Today, all Australians wrap our arms around them and say, we stand with you. We will do whatever is necessary to stamp out antisemitism. It is a scourge, and we will eradicate it together.”
