LIVE UPDATES | Bystander who tackled armed man during deadly Bondi Beach attack hailed as hero

'Canada stands with the people of Australia and Jewish people everywhere': PM

Prime Minister Mark Carney reacted to the shooting in a social media post Sunday morning.

"Horrified by the antisemitic terror attack that has stolen the lives of 11 people at a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach today in Australia," Carney wrote on X.

"Canada stands with the people of Australia and Jewish people everywhere in sorrow, and determination never to bow to terrorism, violence, hatred and intimidation."

"Hanukkah is a time of light amidst the darkness, and a remembrance of the resilience of the Jewish people. May we all support and strengthen that resilience to protect our Jewish communities and to ensure more fundamentally that all people can thrive in every aspect of our society," Carney wrote.

Riley Stranaghan, a Canadian staying in Sydney, Australia, said he was with a friend on Bondi Beach when they heard loud noises they initially mistook for fireworks. Multiple people are dead and many others are injured after Sunday's shooting at an event celebrating the start of the Hanukkah Jewish festival.

Riley Stranaghan, a Canadian living at a hostel on Bondi Beach, was at the beach with a friend when the pair heard gunshots.

"I told him, 'No, those aren't fireworks, those are gunshots,' and then everyone just starts sprinting off the beach and obviously we did the same and we just ran and ran," he told CBC News.

Stranaghan ended up sheltering in a stranger's apartment for a couple of hours.

"I just remember running down the street and seeing kids cry, families running," he said. "It was terrible."

Dramatic footage apparently filmed by a member of the public and broadcast on Australian television channels showed someone tackling and disarming one of the gunmen, before pointing the attacker's weapon at him.

The footage of the bystander's actions spread quickly on social media as people praised the man for his bravery, saying his actions had potentially saved many lives.

According to Reuters the bystander was identified by local media as fruit shop owner Ahmed al-Ahmed, 43.

Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales state, said it was the "most unbelievable scene I've ever seen."

"That man is a genuine hero, and I've got no doubt that there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery."

Israeli citizen among the dead

An Israeli citizen was among those killed, the Israeli foreign ministry said, according to Reuters.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Jewish people who had gone to light the first candle of the Hanukkah holiday on the beach had been attacked by "vile terrorists."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was appalled by the shooting and that Australia's government must "come to its senses" after countless warnings.

"These are the results of the antisemitic rampage in the streets of Australia over the past two years, with the antisemitic and inciting calls of 'Globalize the Intifada' that were realized today."

Hi, I'm Verity. I'm a member of CBC's live page team. We're following the developments of a shooting at Sydney's Bondi beach in Australia, where two gunmen killed at least 11 people.

One of the suspected gunmen has died, and a police officer is among the 11 killed.

Leaders across the world are reacting in the aftermath of the shooting — which Australian officials say targeted a Jewish Hanukkah celebration and is being deemed a terrorist attack.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting was a "targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith — an act of antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation."

Albanese was speaking to reporters with Australian federal police assistant commissioner Nigel Ryan.

"An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian," Albanese said. "What was unleashed today is beyond comprehension and the trauma and loss that families are dealing with tonight is beyond anyone's worst nightmare."