Washington, DC / Sydney (ANI):
US President Donald Trump and senior American officials have paid tribute to victims of multiple deadly attacks in the United States and abroad, including a campus shooting at Brown University and an antisemitic terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, as authorities in both countries continue investigations and assess security responses.
Speaking at a Christmas reception on Sunday, President Trump expressed condolences to victims of the Brown University shooting, where a gunman opened fire inside a campus building during examinations. “Unfortunately, two are no longer with us. Brown University, nine injured. And two are looking down on us right now from heaven,” he said. According to police, nine people were injured in the incident, seven of them critically. The shooting triggered a lockdown of the university and a large-scale manhunt involving more than 400 law enforcement personnel, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Trump also paid tribute to victims of the attack in Australia, describing it as a “terrible attack” and calling it “an anti-Semitic attack, obviously.” He extended his respects to the victims and their families, while also referencing violence in the Middle East, including an ISIS-linked attack in Syria that killed three people. “I just want to pay my respects to the families,” he said.
Australia continues to reel from the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, where gunmen opened fire on crowds celebrating the first night of Hanukkah. Authorities have declared the incident an act of terrorism targeting the Jewish community. The death toll has risen to 16, with at least 40 people hospitalised, according to the New South Wales Police Force and health officials. Investigators said a father-son duo carried out the attack; police shot and killed the father at the scene, while the 24-year-old son remains hospitalised. Officials noted that the son had previously been assessed by Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, ASIO, which at the time found no indication he posed a threat.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a call with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Sunday to discuss the attack. In a statement, the US State Department said the United States “strongly condemns the heinous terrorist attack in Australia targeting a Hanukkah celebration,” adding that there can be “no compromise with antisemitism.” Rubio expressed solidarity with the Jewish community and the Australian people, and thanked first responders and bystanders for their actions. He later reiterated on social media that “antisemitism has no place in this world.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident as a “devastating terror attack” and thanked police for their response. He announced that stricter gun laws would be discussed at a National Cabinet meeting, including potential limits on the number of firearms licensed to individuals and periodic licence reviews, signalling a possible tightening of Australia’s already strict firearms regime.
As investigations continue in both countries, leaders on both sides of the Pacific have reaffirmed solidarity with the victims and their families, even as renewed debates emerge over gun violence, extremism, and public safety. (ANI)
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