Gunfire erupted just before 6:43 pm AEDT during a Hanukkah event where approximately 1,000 Jewish individuals had gathered, according to police reports. Authorities have yet to officially disclose the identities of the assailants involved in the attack.
At the scene of this tragic incident, law enforcement officials recovered six firearms. The mass shooting has drawn significant attention, with ABC News providing coverage and images from the site.
During a press briefing on Monday morning, NSW Police revealed that the gunmen were a father and son duo, aged 50 and 24, respectively. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) further disclosed that one of the individuals, presumably the son, had been on their radar. However, he was not considered an immediate threat.
Six guns were collected at the scene of the mass shooting. Source: ABC News / Supplied/ AAP
NSW Police said in a press conference on Monday morning the shooters are a father and son aged 50 and 24 years old.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation has confirmed one of the men, believed to be the son, was known to the domestic spy agency, but “not in an immediate threat perspective”.
A ‘weird operator’, workmate says
Lochie said the gunman called the boss of their employer at a Sydney commercial bricklaying business last month to say he would be returning in the new year after an injury to his hand.
Lochie worked with the alleged 24-year-old gunmen at a bricklaying company in Sydney for around five years. Credit: SBS
Before he left work, Lochie claimed the alleged gunman had told another workmate he “wanted to be remembered”.
“But yeah, there was no, he’d never say I want to hurt people or anything like that.”
What was the motive for the attack?
“We want to understand the motives behind it. We certainly want to understand the actions that have happened,” he said.
Why did they have guns?
Police say the 50-year-old man was a licensed firearms holder, with six guns licenced to him.
According to Lanyon, it was a category AB licence, which entitled him to have the long-barreled weapons that were recovered.
