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A Daily Mail photographer came face-to-face with the Bondi Beach terrorists, and relived the carnage in the immediate aftermath of the gunmen opening fire, killing 12 people.
The photographer had just crossed the bridge near Bondi Pavilion and stepped onto Campbell Parade when he saw a black car pull to a stop at about 6.40pm on Sunday.
‘I was coming down the other side of the bridge when the car pulled right in front of me,’ he said.
‘It was a small black car. Two men jumped out and spread a black flag with a white emblem over the windshield. They looked like they were in a hurry.
‘Then they grabbed their guns out of the car and started running. They ran just two metres beside me and up onto the bridge.’
The photographer said the two gunmen, one who appeared to be in his 20s and one who appeared to be in his 50s or 60s, yelling instructions to each other.
‘They were panicking and giving each other orders,’ he said.
‘That’s when one of them started shooting into the crowd.’
A Daily Mail photographer was just metres from the shooters at Bondi Beach. Above is Naveed Akram, 24, from Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s southwest
Akram was shot by police and is in custody. The photographer described the scene as ‘carnage’
The photographer described hiding behind a wall as bullets whistled around him
The crowd was mostly families, including young children, who were out celebrating a Jewish holiday at Chanukah by the Sea, also known as Hannukah.
The youngest gunman positioned himself on the bridge while the older man ran into the celebration.
While in a complete daze, the photographer’s muscle memory kicked in and he grabbed his camera while he squatted behind a wall.
His footage, shared with Daily Mail, shows the younger gunman firing from the bridge.
‘I just jumped into action. I thought, “I have to get pictures and video”,’ he said.
‘I managed to stay low to the ground and shot from over the top of a wall. When he turned to look in my direction I would duck down.
‘It felt like the shooting went on for a long time before the police engaged. The gun just kept popping off. It felt like five minutes but it could’ve been less than that.
‘I didn’t just hear the popping of the guns, either. I could hear the whistling of bullets around me, which was quite scary.
Police have found explosives at the scene and urged members of the public to stay away
Both gunmen were shot. One has died and the other is in critical condition in custody
‘People were just lying. Nobody was standing up straight in the street. Everyone was crouching down and hiding behind cars.’
The photographer believed the shooters were targeting the Jewish festival which he had been photographing when the attack was launched.
‘He started spraying bullets towards the beach and the park where the Jewish festival was,’ he said.
‘He was aiming for the Jewish festival, but then he turned and started shooting back towards me. You could hear the bullets whistling past.
‘Then he turned the gun back towards Campbell Parade and started shooting that way as well.’
Once the shooting finally ended, the photographer saw five bodies strewn on the ground nearby and several more people with horrific injuries.
‘It was carnage. People were holding others who were still alive, trying to support them,’ he said.
‘It looked like one of them was a mum. There was a small child crying and it looked like the child’s mother was lying alongside them, dead.’
While the numbers are still being confirmed, at least 12 people, including children, have died in the massacre.
That death toll includes the death of one of the gunmen, who was shot.
The other gunman was also shot and is in a critical condition in custody.
It’s understood at least 29 people were injured in the attack.
Improvised explosive devices were also found at the scene.
Members of the public have been urged to stay away from the area.
Emergency services remain at the scene.
Source: Dailymail.co.uk | Read the Full Story…
