Footage of a loyal dog standing by its owner’s body has emerged after gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach.
The Bernese Mountain dog called Maui was standing alone by its master’s body. It’s since been confirmed that her owner,who was walking his dogs,died in the attack,but has not yet been identified.
Animal rescuers found the pup and gave her back to the victim’s wife,according to Arthur and Co. Pet Detectives founder Anne-Marie Curry.
‘There is footage of Maui standing over a number of victims after her own parent was shot. She was right in the line of fire,’ she added.
A local resident confirmed that Maui’s owner passed away: ‘Our friend was Maui’s dad,who was killed. She adored her dad,and my heart breaks for her. Thank you to whoever it was who caught her and got her home.’
Maui stood patiently by her owner until help came (Picture: X)
Maui has been reunited with his owner’s wife (Picture: X)
The daughter of another one of the victims of the Bondi Beach mass shooting said he died ‘fighting a terrorist’.
Reuven Morrison,62,was one of the 15 people killed on Sydney’s Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday.
He was seen in a white shirt bravely pointing out one of the gunmen – suspected to be father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram – who opened fire,sparking mass panic at the beach event with 2,000 attendees.
Moments after one of the suspects was disarmed by passing fruit vendor Ahmed al Ahmed,Mr Morrison was seen throwing a brick at the gunmen,forcing them to retreat to a position where he was eventually shot dead by police.
Reuven Morrison,in the white t-shirt,points to one of the gunmen on Bondi Beach (Picture: Sky News)
Reuven died after the incident,and tributes have been paid to him by his family (Picture: X)
Mr Morrison’s daughter,Sheina Gutnick,told CBS he died as a hero,throwing a brick at one of the shooters,trying to protect others.
‘If there was one way for him to go on this earth,it would be fighting a terrorist,’ Gutnick said.
‘There was no other way he would be taken for us. He went down fighting,protecting the people he loved the most’
‘I believe after Ahmed managed to get the gun off the terrorist,my father then went to try and unjam the gun,to try and attempt to shoot. He was screaming at the terrorist,’ she added.
‘My dear father,Reuven Morrison was shot dead for being Jewish at a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach while protecting lives,while jumping up,putting his own life at risk to save his fellow Jewish community members.’
She described Mr Morrison,a Soviet-born member of the ultra-orthodox Jewish community in Australia,had ‘absolute immense and endless generosity.’
The terror attack yesterday was one of the deadliest attacks on the Jewish community in the nation’s history.
Details are still emerging on the victims,who had gathered that afternoon with their children and grandchildren to celebrate the festival of light.
Clockwise: Matilda,Tibor Weitzen,Alex Kleytman,Rabbi Eli Schlanger,Reuven Morrison,Peter Meagher,Rabbi Yaakov Levitan and Dan Elkayam (Picture: Facbook/X)
People attend a Campaign Against Antisemitism and Chabad UK event in Westminster to mark Hanukkah (Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
The attack has been declared a terrorist incident targeting a celebration in Sydney on the first day of Hanukkah.
Hanukkah,also known as Chanukah,is an eight-day Jewish festival of lights,usually observed in December.
British-born Eli Schlanger,41,who grew up in Temple Fortune,north London,and was assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi,has been named as one of those killed.
On Monday evening,people gathered in remembrance of those killed at a memorial coordinated by the Campaign Against Antisemitism and Chabad UK in Parliament Square,central London.
Speaking at the event,Tory shadow attorney general Lord Wolfson,who is a relative of Mr Schlanger,said he wanted to see people ‘being more muscular in defending the values that make the UK the society we want it to be.’
He added: ‘When marches in London called for Jihad,and the Metropolitan Police told us that Jihad can mean personal development or personal reflection.
‘It might be in a theological seminar,but when shouted on the streets of London,we know what it means – it means an attack on Jews,and so let’s celebrate Hanukkah publicly,proudly as Jews and as members of UK society.’
Rabbi Eli Schlanger had helped organise the Hannukkah event in Bondi,where he was killed
Labour’s Ashley Dalton was heckled at the event as she pledged solidarity with Jewish people.
The Government minister said: ‘We are here to stand together against the hatred and vitriol from wherever it comes. The Government does not and will not tolerate antisemitism.’
She was interrupted by calls of ‘stop the marches’ and ‘we want action,not words’ from some people in the crowd,before continuing after a rabbi stepped onto the stage and called for the listeners to be ‘ambassadors of light’ and allow her to speak.
Speaking to applause,Gideon Falter said,‘celebrating Hanukkah is just an act of celebration,but tonight it feels like an act of defiance.’
He added: ‘Unfortunately,Jews have been warning about the dangers of extremism and radicalism running amok in our country for years,and time has run out.’
‘It is time not for thoughts and prayers or words of solidarity,but action from our politicians,action from our Government.’
He also warne,d ‘people who turn their guns on Jews will turn their guns on everybody else next’.
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