New Delhi | A shocking act of violence has once again highlighted the growing threat of global terrorism after a deadly shooting targeting the Jewish community in Sydney, Australia. The attack took place near Bondi Beach in New South Wales, a crowded public area, where gunmen opened indiscriminate fire, killing 16 people, including an Israeli national, and injuring 29 others. Among the injured were a child and two police officers.
Australian authorities have officially termed the incident a terrorist attack. The shooting reportedly occurred around 6:47 pm local time near Archer Park, when large crowds had gathered. Preliminary investigations suggest that the attack coincided with Hanukkah celebrations, making it a targeted act against the Jewish community. One of the attackers was killed during police action, while another was injured and arrested.
Australian police identified one of the attackers as a 24-year-old man of Pakistani origin, while investigations into wider links are ongoing. World leaders strongly condemned the attack. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, addressing the media in Canberra, described the incident as a “deeply distressing massacre” and said it was a Jewish-targeted, anti-Semitic terrorist act that struck at the heart of Australia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the victims’ families and reiterated India’s firm stand against terrorism, stating that India follows a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism in all its forms. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the attack, calling it a premeditated act of murder and warning against the global rise of anti-Semitism.
Australia is home to nearly 117,000 Jewish residents within a population of about 28 million, with nearly 85 percent of the Jewish population residing in major cities such as Sydney and Melbourne. Since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, anti-Semitic incidents in Australia have reportedly increased sharply. According to Australia’s special envoy, such incidents—including threats, vandalism, intimidation, and assaults—have risen more than threefold.
Although Australia is known for having some of the strictest gun control laws in the world, implemented after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, recent years have seen isolated but disturbing acts of violence. The Bondi Beach attack has shaken public confidence and raised concerns about emerging extremist threats even in relatively safe societies.
Security experts warn that crowded public spaces are increasingly being targeted by extremists to maximise fear and casualties. Intelligence agencies across countries, including the Five Eyes alliance (Australia, the US, UK, Canada, and New Zealand), have flagged a worrying trend of youth radicalisation, often driven by online platforms and extremist digital content. Reports indicate that a significant portion of new terrorism-related cases now involve individuals under the age of 20.
Global terrorism continues to affect several regions, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, Somalia, India, Yemen, Mali, and the Israel–Palestine region. While the nature of terrorism has evolved—from traditional militant groups to digitally networked and ideologically driven cells—the challenge has grown more complex.
Experts emphasise that combating terrorism requires more than security operations alone. Addressing radicalisation, misinformation, social alienation, and extremist propaganda, alongside education, employment opportunities, and international cooperation, is crucial for long-term solutions.
The Sydney attack serves as a grim reminder that terrorism is a global menace, transcending borders and targeting innocent civilians. The fight against it, analysts stress, is not just the responsibility of governments and security agencies, but a shared global and humanitarian duty.
