Good morning. Today, we’re covering two shootings. One just occurred at Bondi Beach, one of Australia’s most famous destinations. The gunmen targeted Jews during an event for the first night of Hanukkah, officials said. The second was at Brown University, where a shooter opened fire inside a classroom yesterday, killing two people and injuring nine others. The police spent all night searching for a suspect, and they just announced that a person of interest was in custody.
On Bondi BeachThey were gathering on the first night of Hanukkah. In Sydney, Australia, shooters targeted a Jewish gathering on the beach and killed at least 11 people, officials said. At least one gunman is dead and another is in custody. The authorities called it a terrorist attack. “This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy,” said Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister. “An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian,” he added. Jews had gathered near the beach with their families. A mother with a young baby said bubbles floated in the air and music played. Then the gunmen, wearing black, emerged from a small silver hatchback and began firing into the crowd, according to a witness. At least 11 people were injured, two of whom were police officers. The police later found what they believed to be improvised explosive devices in a nearby vehicle. Videos from the scene show people fleeing from the busy beach, a half-mile crescent of sand, as the sun set. Panicked people sprinted, jumped over cars and scaled concrete walls, many pulling their children along. Dozens took shelter in shops and restaurants. A photographer who was documenting the event hid behind a parking meter and said a shooter had left him with a gash on his rib. “It was just carnage,” he said. The shooting is the latest in a series of antisemitic attacks in Australia that intensified last year, when arsonists targeted a Jewish business and a synagogue. The violence has unnerved many in the country, which has the world’s highest concentration of Holocaust survivors after Israel. Israel’s foreign minister said Australia’s government must “come to its senses” after countless warnings about antisemitism. Yad Vashem, Israel’s official Holocaust memorial center, described the attack as “both heartbreaking and alarming.” Shootings are rare in Australia, a country with one of the lowest gun-related death rates in the developed world. This story is still developing, and you can follow our live coverage here. At Brown University
Now we’re going to Rhode Island. A gunman opened fire in a classroom at Brown yesterday, killing two people and injuring nine others. The attacker escaped onto the streets of Providence, and hundreds of police officers spent the night searching in alleys and parked cars. The police just announced that they had detained a person of interest. The school lifted its lockdown early this morning. The shooting occurred during a final exam review session for an economics class. The Times spoke with the teaching assistant who led the review session, Joseph Oduro. He described a harrowing scene as the gunman, wearing a mask and carrying a rifle, burst into the lecture hall. The man shouted something Oduro could not make out and started shooting, he said, describing how he hid behind a desk with some students. The police escorted people out of campus buildings late into the night, while some students packed into an athletic center. At least two of the Brown University students who were on campus when a deadly shooting unfolded there have survived school shootings before.
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