One of the suspects in yesterday's shooting is shown on the bridge at Bondi. Photo / Supplied
Disturbing close-up footage of one of the Bondi shooters shows him very calmly and rapidly reloading his rifle — fuelling a major debate over whether he had military experience or training.
It shows Naveed Akram standing on a pedestrian bridge overlooking the beach dispatching shots with ease.
At least 16 people are dead and 40 remain in hospital in what has been designated a terrorist incident.
US army veteran Brian Kimber, who has 10 years experience working in overseas combat zones shared close-up footage of Akram opening fire.
He said that for the “non-gun people” it could appear that Akram had some sort of military experience.
He said the gun used appeared to be a bolt-action rifle — which is a manually operated firearm renowned for its accuracy, reliability, and ability to handle powerful cartridges, making it a top choice for hunting and long-range precision shooting.
Kimber said the choice of gun for a public shooting was “wild”.
“Saw someone say (unsure if true) that one guy was a gun club member. This dude definitely practiced,” he said.
“So for the non-gun people: it’s really not hard to practice weapons manipulation at home and become proficient… I promise I could have you cycling the bolt like this in a few days easy.”
An event celebrating the Jewish Hanukkah festival called Chanukah by the Sea was the shooters’ target. Around 1000 people were in attendance. That’s in addition to the thousands more locals and tourists enjoying Australia’s most iconic beach on a warm summer’s evening.
At around 7pm, two men fired towards the beach from a small bridge that connected Bondi’s main Campbell Parade thoroughfare with the beach, close to the Bondi Pavilion.
Police sources told The Daily Telegraph that the terrorists also threw two pipe bombs towards the crowd but they failed to explode. Further explosives were found in a parked car on Campbell Parade.
The dead include a rabbi, a Holocaust survivor and a child.
Of the shooters, one was shot dead by police at the scene. Police are looking into whether there was a third offender who was not a shooter.
Of the possible suspects, only one has been named: Naveed Akram.
He was shot and has been taken into custody.
“The person that we know has very, very little knowledge to the police, so he’s not someone that we would have automatically been looking at this time,” NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said.
Footage from Bondi Beach shows police surrounding two men lying on the ground on a pedestrian bridge while members of the public had to be pulled off one of the men.
NSW Police officers appeared to be giving CPR to one of the suspected shooters while another appears to be receiving medical attention in the chaotic footage, as a third man is led away shirtless with his hands behind his back.
In another video, police can be seen tending to two men on the ground, with a shotgun underneath one of the men and multiple spent shotgun shells on the ground.
A bystander can be heard “f*****g bash him” before a shirtless man approaches and kicks the man on the ground, before police move him away.
On Sunday night, Police cordoned off the street in the suburb of Bonnyrigg, near Liverpool in Sydney’s southwest, where the alleged shooters live.
News.com.au saw dozens of people converge on the street, trying to edge closer to the house.
When approached by news.com.au, one police officer said “it’s not safe you need to go back”.
The alleged shooter’s family have reportedly owned the property for a year, according to the Daily Mail.
One man who lives around the corner said he was unaware of today’s events and became emotional when told what the death toll was.
“Oh my God, I just can’t believe it. And he lives here?” he asked, pointing towards the cordoned off road.
“I live around the corner. It’s a nice area.”
Scores of young men gathered near the corner of a neighbouring street, discussing the horrific events that unfolded more than 50km away.
Some residents stopped from getting to their homes were heard pleading with police to be let through but were instead told to get back.
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