Australia's leaders promise to tighten gun laws after Bondi Beach massacre on Hanukkah

SYDNEY (AP) — Australian leaders promised on Monday to immediately overhaul already-tough gun control laws after a mass shooting targeted a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney's Bondi Beach. At least 15 people died in the attack, which has fueled criticism that authorities are not doing enough to combat a surge in antisemitic crimes.

Among the new measures proposed would be a limit on the number of guns someone can own and a review of licenses held over time. Those and other actions would represent a significant update to the landmark national firearms agreement, which virtually banned rapid-fire rifles after a gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania in 1996, galvanizing the country into action.

“The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

The violence erupted at the end of a summer day when thousands had flocked to Bondi Beach, an icon of Australia’s cultural life. They included hundreds gathered for the Chanukah by the Sea event celebrating the start of the Jewish festival with food, face painting and a petting zoo. Albanese called the massacre an act of antisemitic terrorism that struck at the heart of the nation.

Police shot the two suspected gunmen, a father and son. The 50-year-old father died at the scene. His 24-year-old son remained in a coma in hospital on Monday, Albanese said. Police won’t reveal their names.

Health officials said Tuesday that 25 people were still being treated in hospitals, 10 of them in critical condition. Those receiving care include children.

Also among them is a man who was captured on video appearing to tackle and disarm one apparent assailant, before pointing the man’s weapon at him, then setting the gun on the ground.

The man was identified by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke as Ahmed al Ahmed. The 42-year-old fruit shop owner and father of two was shot in the shoulder.

Al Ahmed, an Australian citizen who migrated from Syria in 2006, underwent surgery on Monday, his family said. Al Ahmed’s parents, who moved to Australia in recent months, said their son had a background in the Syrian security forces.

“My son has always been brave. He helps people. He’s like that,” his mother, Malakeh Hasan al Ahmed, told Australian Broadcasting Corp. through an interpreter.

Albanese confirmed that Australia’s main domestic spy agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, had investigated the younger suspected gunman for six months in 2019.

The ABC reported that the agency had examined the son’s ties to a Sydney-based Islamic State group cell. Albanese did not describe the associates, but said the agency was interested in them rather than the son.

“He was examined on the basis of being associated with others and the assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence,” Albanese said.

The horror at Australia’s most popular beach was the deadliest shooting in almost three decades since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. The removal of rapid-fire rifles has markedly reduced the death tolls from such acts of violence since then.

Albanese's proposals to limit the number of guns someone can own and review licenses were announced after the authorities revealed that the older suspected gunman had held a gun license for a decade and amassed his six guns legally.

Leaders of the federal and state governments on Monday also proposed restricting gun ownership to Australian citizens, a measure that would have excluded the older suspect, who came to Australia in 1998 on a student visa and became a permanent resident after marrying a local woman. Officials wouldn’t confirm what country he had migrated from.

His son, who doesn’t have a gun license, is an Australian-born citizen.

The government leaders also proposed the “additional use of criminal intelligence” in deciding who was eligible for a gun license. That could mean the son’s suspicious associates could disqualify the father from owning a gun.

Chris Minns, premier of New South Wales where Sydney is the state capital, said his state’s gun laws would change, but he could not yet detail how.

“If you’re not a farmer, you’re not involved in agriculture, why do you need these massive weapons that put the public in danger and make life dangerous and difficult for New South Wales Police?” Minns asked.

Among those hospitalized are two police officers. Those killed included a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor.

While none of the dead or wounded have been formally named by the authorities, the identities of those killed, who ranged in age from 10 to 87, began to emerge in news reports Monday.

Among them was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and an organizer of the family Hanukkah event that was targeted, according to Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish movement that runs outreach worldwide.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of an Israeli citizen, but gave no further details. French President Emmanuel Macron said a French citizen, identified as Dan Elkayam, was among those killed.

Larisa Kleytman told reporters outside St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney that her husband, Alexander Kleytman, was among the dead. The couple were both Holocaust survivors, according to The Australian newspaper.

Over the past year, Australia has been rocked by antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne. Synagogues and cars were torched, businesses and homes graffitied and Jews attacked in those cities, where the vast majority of the nation’s Jewish population lives. Of Australia's 28 million people, about 117,000 are Jewish, according to official figures.

The massacre provoked questions about whether Albanese and his government had done enough to curb rising antisemitism. Jewish leaders and the massacre’s survivors expressed fear and fury as they questioned why the men hadn’t been detected before they opened fire.

“There’s been a heap of inaction,” said Lawrence Stand, a Sydney man who raced to a bar mitzvah celebration in Bondi when the violence erupted to find his 12-year-old daughter.

“I think the federal government has made a number of missteps on antisemitism,” Alex Ryvchin, spokesperson for the Australian Council of Executive Jewry, told reporters gathered on Monday near the site of the shooting. “I think when an attack such as what we saw yesterday takes place, the paramount and fundamental duty of government is the protection of its citizens, so there’s been an immense failure.”

The Australian government has enacted various measures — including appointing a special envoy to combat antisemitism, toughening laws and investing in enhanced security for Jewish schools and synagogues — to counter a surge in antisemitism since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel responded with an offensive in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he warned Australia’s leaders months ago about the dangers of failing to take action against antisemitism. He claimed Australia’s decision, in line with scores of other countries, to recognize a Palestinian state “pours fuel on the antisemitic fire.”

Albanese in August blamed Iran for two of the previous attacks and cut diplomatic ties to Tehran. Authorities have not suggested Iran was linked to Sunday’s massacre.

Graham-McLay reported from Wellington, New Zealand, and McGuirk from Melbourne, Australia.

A Hanukkah menorah stands by a floral tribute as people gather to pay their respects near the Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, following Sunday's shooting in Sydney, Australia. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Israeli Ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon, center, prays at a floral memorial near the Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, following Sunday's shooting in Sydney, Australia. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

People embrace at a flower memorial placed outside Bondi Pavilion at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, a day after two gunmen opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Governor General Sam Mostyn places flowers at a tribute to shooting victims outside the Bondi Pavilion at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, a day after a shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Governor General Sam Mostyn, left, greets MP, Allegra Spender, at a gathering at a flower memorial to shooting victims outside the Bondi Pavilion at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, a day after a shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

A woman is escorted from a flower memorial outside the Bondi Pavilion at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, a day after a shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

A woman kneels and prays at a flower memorial to shooting victims outside the Bondi Pavilion at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, a day after a shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

A couple lay flowers at a tribute to shooting victims outside the Bondi Pavilion at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, a day after a shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kurt Busch was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday night along with fellow drivers Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick.

The 47-year-old Busch, who won the first Cup Chase in 2004, was selected in his first year of eligibility by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel last May.

Busch talked about getting his start driving dwarf cars in his home state of Nevada and his quick acceleration to the to Cup Series after bypassing what was known then known as the Busch Series because of his talent.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Busch said. “It's a journey that this blue-collar kid from (Las) Vegas never expected. All of these trips down memory lane talking with everyone and the different teams I was with, all the great racers that I raced against. It’s been an amazing journey.”

Nicknamed “The Outlaw,” Busch was known for his fiery temper and often found himself at the center of controversy.

He won his only Cup Series championship at age 26 in his fourth year on the circuit. It was the first championship contested under the 10-race Chase format, and it came in dramatic fashion.

Busch's right front tire broke loose from his No. 97 Roush Racing Ford and rolled to the right of the pit wall as he steered to the left of the barrier. He managed to finish fifth and secured the title.

“There was this weird vibration happening with the right front,” Busch said in a video he posted on social media before his induction. “So, I was coming down on the access road, and it’s starting to vibrate bad like it’s coming apart. Something’s going down.

“It broke right there. I know I’m wrecking, and I’m like, ‘My day’s done.’ Something took my left foot off the brake pedal to allow that left front tire just to gain a little bit of turn and to stay away from the barrels and the embarrassment of running into the end of the pit wall.”

Busch won 43 races across NASCAR’s three national series, including 34 at the Cup level. He won the 2017 Daytona 500 and retired in 2023 after sustaining a concussion following a crash at Pocono.

Busch was also one of the few drivers to attempt to run “the double.” He finished sixth in the 2014 Indianapolis 500 before flying to Charlotte Motor Speedway to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 the same day.

His younger brother Kyle Busch presented him for the Hall, saying he was immensely proud.

“This award is about resilience and heart and Kurt earned every bit of it,” Kyle Busch said.

During his acceptance speech, Kurt Busch paid tribute to Greg Biffle, who died in a plane crash along with his wife and two children in December. Busch said the two were like “peanut butter and jelly” on the racetrack.

“You will always be the Biff,” Busch said. “Everyone should be like Biff.”

Gant, 86, known as “The Bandit,” joined Busch as a Modern Era selection in his seventh year of eligibility.

“I was hoping to get in here sooner or later,” Gant joked.

Gant raced late into his career. The Taylorsville, North Carolina, native, had 18 victories, with five of them — including four straight wins at Darlington, Richmond, Dover and Martinsville — coming after he turned 51.

“I have been able to take a car and make it win,” Gant said. “I have had several cars. To make a car that becomes a winner, it's like a person — it becomes your best friend then. Not your wife, but your best friend.”

Gant also won 21 races in the O’Reilly Series, captured the IROC Series title in 1985 and finished second to NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip in the inaugural All-Star Race.

Hendrick, known as “Mr. Modified,” accumulated more than 700 victories in modified and late model sportsman racing from 1950 through 1988. He was chosen from a group of five Pioneer Ballot nominees.

Although he never won a modified championship, Hendrick finished in the top 10 nine times from 1960-69.

“He was almost unbeatable on short tracks,” said Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, who is unrelated to Ray Hendrick but worked on Ray's cars as a teenager.

Hendrick's son Ronnie accepted the award for his father, who died in 1990.

“If my dad was here tonight he would be so honored to be recognized with so many other great drivers,” Ronnie Hendrick said.

Track promoter H.A. Wheeler was honored with the Landmark Award for contributions to the sport.

The longtime president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway, Wheeler became know for his over-the-top promotional events, including a staged battle in the infield with giant “Robosaurus” breathing fire and devouring cars during pre-race ceremonies.

Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith called him “the P.T. Barnum of motorsports.”

Wheeler died last August at age 86.

NASCAR presented team owner and motorsports innovator Jack Roush with the Bill France Award of Excellence this week, making him the first two-time winner of what's considered the sport's most prestigious award. He was recognized for his decades-long impact on the sport and his commitment to competition, innovation and leadership.

He also won the award in 2001.

“For decades, Jack Roush has helped move NASCAR forward while staying true to what makes the sport special,” NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France said. “He has built championship-caliber teams and developed generations of drivers and leaders.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

FILE - Former driver Harry Gant is introduced to fans as an inductee into the Hall of Fame class of 2026 prior to a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Concord, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley,File)

FILE - Driver Kurt Busch acknowledges fans before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne,File)