At memorial, Albanese says he’s ‘profoundly sorry’ for not preventing Bondi Beach attack

SYDNEY — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday he was “profoundly sorry” for the failure to prevent the Bondi Beach mass shooting, as the country observed a day of mourning for the victims of the attack.

Police say a father and son opened fire at an event along the beach celebrating Hanukkah on December 14, killing 15 people in Australia’s worst mass shooting in decades.

They say the two men were inspired by Islamic State to carry out the attack, which the government has called an act of terrorism targeting Jewish people.

Flags were flown at half-mast across the country ahead of a memorial event at Sydney’s iconic Opera House, titled “Light Will Win,” where Albanese apologized to the relatives of the victims in the audience.

“You came to celebrate a festival of light and freedom and you left with the violence of hatred. I am deeply and profoundly sorry that we could not protect your loved ones from this evil,” Albanese said to sustained applause in his speech at the event.

Last month, the prime minister said he was “sorry for what the Jewish community and our nation as a whole has experienced” — an apology that some relatives said was insufficient.

A minute’s silence, including on the country’s main television channels, was held across the nation just after 7 p.m. in Sydney as the memorial event began.

Event attendees lit candles and heard speeches from other lawmakers, as well as Jewish prayers and video tributes.

Buildings across the country, including cricket stadiums in Melbourne and Perth, were also illuminated, while play was paused during the Australian Open tennis tournament to observe the minute’s silence.

During the December attack, two gunmen, father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram, opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration organized by Chabad on Bondi Beach, massacring 15 participants, including a 10-year-old girl, several rabbis and a Holocaust survivor.

First responders raced to treat the wounded despite the dangers of that day, strangers sheltered each other from gunfire, and shop owner Ahmed al Ahmed famously wrested a gun from one of the attackers.

“They’re the heroes, aren’t they? The people that stepped in and put themselves in danger,” school teacher David Barrett said at Bondi Beach. “It’s a shame that people had to do that. But I suppose that just shows the Australian spirit that people are always willing to step in and help out.”

The Bondi attack shocked the nation and led to calls for tougher action on antisemitism and gun control, with critics of Albanese saying he had not done enough to crack down on a spate of attacks on the Jewish community in recent years.

The government disputes this, and has already passed legislation tightening background checks for gun licenses, as well as separate legislation that would lower the threshold for prosecuting hate speech offenses.

Albanese has launched a royal commission of inquiry into the attack after heavy pressure.