Two Swedish women who survived the deadly Hanukkah shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025—which killed at least 15 and injured dozens—describe the chaos and fear as they fled the antisemitic attack. Moa Karlsson and Stella Ungerth share their harrowing experiences amid reports of a heroic bystander and arrested suspects.
The mass shooting at Bondi Beach during the 'Chanukah by the Sea 2025' event has been declared a terrorist attack targeting Sydney's Jewish community, with the death toll reported at 15-16 and dozens injured, including police. A father-son duo, identified in some reports as Sajid and Naveed Akram, were involved; one was killed by police, the other taken into custody. A bystander heroically disarmed one gunman, likely saving lives, while suspected explosives were recovered.
Among new witness accounts from this tragedy are those from Swedes present at the scene. Moa Karlsson, 33, from Motala and living in Sydney, was at the Iceberg restaurant overlooking the beach. 'We were at a restaurant... Then we heard shots: poff, poff, poff. It was at least 50 shots,' she told Aftonbladet. Thousands fled in panic, evoking for Moa the Nice terror attack she had previously survived. Police locked her group inside as helicopters and coast guard arrived.
Stella Ungerth from Sollentuna was about 100 meters away during a girls' night. 'You switch on some kind of survival instinct and run for your life. It was unreal,' she told SVT. She and friends sought cover in a nearby house, where she called her parents, shaking and breaking down.
Witnesses report 50 to hundreds of shots fired. Victims include a Holocaust survivor, a rabbi, and Chabad organizer Rabbi Eli Schlanger. The attack has heightened security at Jewish sites in Sweden and Australia, amid a rise in antisemitism.
