"Horrific": Trump prays for Bondi Beach terror attack victims, urges unity against 'evil'

Washington, DC [US], December 17 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Tuesday condemned the deadly antisemitic terror attack in Australia, saying all nations must stand united against what he described as the "evil forces of radical Islamic terrorism".

Speaking during a Hanukkah reception at the White House, Trump said, "Let me take a moment to send the love and prayers to the people of Australia, especially those affected by the horrific and antisemitic terrorist attack that took place during a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney." He added that countries across the world must come together to counter terrorism and hatred.

During the festive event in the East Room, Trump welcomed guests celebrating Hanukkah and again referred to the incident as a "horrific antisemitic terrorist attack".

Meanwhile, Australian authorities are continuing investigations into the December 14 attack at Bondi Beach, which took place during a Hanukkah gathering of the Jewish community and left at least 15 people dead and dozens injured. The assault has been officially declared a terrorist act.

In a key development, Telangana Police on Tuesday said that Sajid Akram, one of the accused, was originally from Hyderabad, correcting earlier reports that had identified the attackers as being of Pakistani origin. The attack was allegedly carried out by a father-son duo, Sajid Akram, 50, who was shot dead by Australian police, and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram.

Investigators have said the attackers were inspired by Islamic State ideology. According to Australian police, a vehicle linked to the younger suspect contained improvised explosive devices and two homemade ISIS flags, which were later safely secured and removed.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting appeared to have been driven by extremist Islamic State ideology and described it as a "devastating terror attack" and a "targeted act of antisemitism" against Jewish Australians. "There is no place for this hate, violence and terrorism in our nation," he said.

On Tuesday, Albanese also met Ahmed, the man who went viral for tackling and disarming the attacker during the shooting. In the widely shared video, Ahmed is seen lunging from behind, wrapping his arms around the gunman and wrestling the firearm away as shots rang out.

Praising his bravery, Albanese wrote on X, "Ahmed, you are an Australian hero. You put yourself at risk to save others, running towards danger on Bondi Beach and disarming a terrorist. In the worst of times, we see the best of Australians."

Amid the fallout, Trump's intelligence chief criticised the Australian government, linking the attack to what she described as unchecked Islamist extremism and migration. In a strongly worded statement, she said "the attack should not come as to surprise to anyone" as " this is the direct result of the massive influx of Islamists to Australia."

She further noted that Islamist terror posed the greatest threat to global security and praised the Trump administration's focus on border security and deporting suspected terrorists.

New South Wales Police said the area around Bondi Beach remains sealed as investigations continue, with restrictions on aerial movement still in place. Australia, which has seen very few mass shootings since strict gun laws were introduced in 1996, is treating the Bondi Beach attack as one of the deadliest terror incidents in recent years, CNN reported. (ANI)

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