Tributes have been paid to the 15 victims of a mass shooting at a Jewish festival on Sydney's Bondi Beach, as Australia's leaders agreed to tougher gun laws.
The alleged attackers, a father and son, fired into crowds at the beach for the start of Hanukkah on Sunday evening.
The father was killed at the scene, taking the number of dead to 16, while his 24-year-old son is in a critical condition in hospital, but is expected to survive, police said.
Australian media named them as Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram.
Police confirmed the 50-year-old father was licensed to hold six firearms, which they believed were used in the shootings.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a meeting of the leaders of Australia's states and territories in response, agreeing with them "to strengthen gun laws across the nation".
Albanese's office said they had agreed to look into ways to improve background checks for firearm owners, bar non-nationals from obtaining gun licenses and limit the types of weapons that are legal.
Mass shootings have been rare in Australia since a lone gunman killed 35 people in the tourist town of Port Arthur in 1996.
That massacre led to sweeping reforms that were long seen as a gold standard worldwide.
These included a gun buyback scheme, a national firearms register and a crackdown on the ownership of semi-automatic weapons.
But Sunday's shootings have raised fresh questions on how the father and son - who public broadcaster ABC reported had possible links to the Islamic State group - obtained the weapons.
Watch: Surf cam shows people fleeing Bondi Beach during shooting
Officials have described yesterday's shooting as a targeted anti-Semitic attack.
The attackers, armed with what police described as "long guns", opened fire on more than 1,000 people attending a Jewish festival in the Archer Park area of the popular beach at 6.47pm local time on Sunday.
Police said 40 people remain in hospital following the attack, including two police officers who are in a serious but stable condition.
The victims were aged between 10 and 87 years old.
Witnesses said the attack at the famed beach lasted about 10 minutes, sending hundreds of people scattering along the sand and into nearby streets.
Police said around 1,000 people had attended the targeted Hanukkah event, which was held in a small park off the beach.
Police did not release the shooters' names, but national broadcaster ABC and other media identified the men as Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram.
Home Minister Tony Burke said the father arrived in Australia in 1998 on a student visa, while his son is an Australian-born citizen.
Police did not provide details about the firearms, but videos from the scene showed the men firing what appeared to be a bolt-action rifle and a shotgun.
"We are very much working through the background of both persons," New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said. "At this stage, we know very little about them."
Tributes paid to victims of Bondi Beach shooting
At the suspects' home in Bonnyrigg, a suburb, there was a heavy police presence, with a cordon wrapped around several neighbouring houses.
Authorities said they were confident only two attackers were involved in the incident after previously saying they were checking whether a third offender was involved.
A bystander captured on video tackling and disarming an armed man during the attack has been hailed as a hero whose actions saved lives.
Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old fruit shop owner, was shot twice and has undergone surgery.
Mr al Ahmed's family said he remains in hospital with bullet wounds to his arm and hand, but was in "good spirits."
A fundraising page for the man has raised more than A$350,000 (€198,539).
Watch: Man wrestles the gun out of the attacker's hand at Bondi Beach
Mr al Ahmed's father described his son as a "hero of Australia" with an impulse to protect people.
Speaking to ABC Australia through a translator, Mohamed Fateh al Ahmed said: "His friend told him, 'Let's go have coffee at Bondi'.
"They got there, and were shocked to see armed men firing weapons at terrorists.
"Their lives were in danger. He noticed one of the armed men in a distance, from him hiding behind a tree.
"My son is a hero, he served with the police and in the central security forces, and he has the impulse to protect people.
"When he saw people laying on the ground, and the blood everywhere, immediately his conscience and his soul compelled him to pounce on one of the terrorists and to rid him of his weapon.
"I feel pride and honour, because my son is a hero of Australia."
Bondi local Morgan Gabriel, 27, said she had been heading to a nearby cinema when she heard what she thought were fireworks, before people started running up her street.
"I sheltered about six or seven. Two of them were actually my close friends and the rest were just people that were on the street," she said.
"But people, their phones had been left down the beach and everyone was just trying to get away," she added.
A makeshift memorial with flowers alongside Israeli and Australian flags was set up at the Bondi pavilion.
An online condolence book was also established.
Police and private Jewish security guards wearing earpieces were positioned around as mourners paid respects and laid flowers.
A grassy hill overlooking Bondi Beach was strewn with discarded items from people fleeing the killing, including a camping table and blankets.
People gathered flip flops, sneakers and thermos flasks, and lined them up in the sand for collection.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Bondi Beach to lay flowers near the scene of the attack.
"What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of anti-Semitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location," Mr Albanese told reporters.
He said: "The Jewish community are hurting today. Today, all Australians wrap our arms around them and say 'we stand with you’.
"We will do whatever is necessary to stamp out anti-Semitism.
"It is a scourge, and we will eradicate it together."
Mr Albanese later urged Australians to light a candle in solidarity with the Jewish community "to show that light will indeed defeat darkness - part of what Hanukkah celebrates".
He said Australia is mourning the dead by flying flags at half-mast.
The prime minister said several world leaders including US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron had reached out, and offered condolences and support.
The shootings were the most serious in a string of anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars in Australia since the beginning of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had warned Mr Albanese that Australia's support for Palestinian statehood would fuel anti-Semitism.
In August, Australia accused Iran of directing at least two anti-Semitic attacks and gave Tehran's ambassador a week to leave the country.
Read more:
Irish woman recalls 'sheer terror' as Bondi shooting unfolded
Bondi Beach shooting - what we know about the victims
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