Name: Australia rings in 2026 under tight security
Uploaded: 2025-12-31T15:17:39.234Z
Duration: 1 min 44 s
Description: As it counted down to 2026, Sydney held a moment of silent remembrance for the victims of the Bondi Beach attack that happened earlier this month. Since the attack, Australian authorities have increased police presence across the city.

As it counted down to 2026, Sydney held a moment of silent remembrance for the victims of the Bondi Beach attack that happened earlier this month. Since the attack, Australian authorities have increased police presence across the city.

Council of the City of Sydney

Sydney began the new year with a moment of silence to honor 15 victims of a recent shooting at Bondi Beach, where attackers motivated by Islamic State ideology targeted a Hanukkah celebration. In response, authorities increased security across the city, deploying over 2,500 officers and sharpshooters, and encouraged residents to gather for New Year's Eve festivities as a show of resilience.

Officials also announced stricter gun control policies for the coming year, including limits on firearm ownership and a large-scale national gun buyback program. These measures aim to reduce the number of firearms in circulation and enhance public safety in the aftermath of the attack.

Australia rings in 2026 under tight security

As the world counts down to 2026, Sydney stood still. For a minute's moment of silent remembrance, honoring 15 men, women and children gunned down before a new year could begin. Just two Sundays ago, a peaceful afternoon was shattered when this father son pair opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's famed Bondi Beach. The attackers were inspired by Islamic State extremist ideology, said Australian authorities, who since then increased the visible presence of police and even sharpshooters across the city. Tonight, more than 2,500 officers were deployed, a record, said the state leader of New South Wales that includes Sydney. We need to show defiance in the face of this evil, and the best way of doing that is to spend some time with your friends and your family on New Year's Eve on Sydney Harbour. In the hours leading up to midnight, crowds did gather. For the first fireworks show that honored Australia's indigenous First Nations peoples. Officials had prepared for more than 1,000,000 people to converge on Sydney Harbour in line with past years. A city shadowed in its losses now resiliently looking up to the light. And Australia will bring in even tighter gun policies in the new year. One to limit how many firearms each person can own. One of the Bondi gunmen owned six of them. Another is the country's biggest ever national gun buyback program to potentially take hundreds of thousands of firearms off the streets, Kelly, in order to make the next year and years ahead future for everyone. Rami, thank you.

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