Bondi Beach’s terror attack shattered a place of joy, and its security lessons are painfully clear

A tragic event has taken place. Lives have been lost and the victims of this horrendous incident include both young and old, families, a rabbi, a Holocaust survivor, tourists and those who serve in law enforcement.

The Australian police have conveyed this as a terror-based attack, one that was aimed at the Jewish community as they celebrated the Jewish festival known as Hanukkah.

Now, in the aftermath, security levels will be raised; law enforcement and intelligence services will be carefully analysing and investigating the incident, as well as the background to the gunmen and their connection to other groups.

Another question that counter-terror professionals will be focused on: was this part of a planned wave of attacks or a one-off, impulsive expression of cruelty and hatred?

It was only last month that I wrote a piece for LBC looking at how to avoid crime during the festive season and mentioned the risk of terror attacks that could occur during this period.

Now, it’s awful to see that this is very much a reality in the modern world, one that is likely to keep escalating.

For many, it will be hard to fathom how these attackers could choose to target families and people coming together to celebrate what was supposed to be a joyful gathering.

The incident will also be distressing for the families of the victims and the people of Sydney. Over a thousand or so people gathered on Bondi Beach. It’s a famous place often populated by surfers, beach lovers, party-goers and tourists.

Now, there is spilt blood and memorial wreaths on its ground. Let’s take a look at some of the security implications that this active-shooter attack has stirred.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) is the country’s internal security service that plays a key role in counter-terrorism, counter-espionage and gathering usable intelligence about other domestic threats. Along with Australian Federal Police (AFP), which is also actively involved in investigating and countering terrorism, in the days ahead they will be delving into the previous activity and movements of the two suspects.

Although one of the suspects was killed by the police in the immediate response, one is alive but said to be in hospital in critical condition. This will certainly hinder or delay the gaining of practical intelligence through questioning.

Looking at footage of the two gunmen during this mass shooting, an alleged father-and-son team said to be aged 50 and 24, they don’t look or move like individuals trained tactically to a particularly high level.

Nonetheless, their warped actions have caused the death of at least 15 people, including a 10-year-old child, and caused significant injury to at least 40 other victims.

That’s the trouble when attackers choose to use blades, firearms or vehicles as weapons (VAW). Even crude, relatively untrained individuals hell-bent on taking lives can inflict a great deal of harm.

Police have already looked into the acquisition of the firearms. How did it come to this situation where one of the individuals involved in this large-scale terror attack managed to convey suitability for a licence and come into possession of what is believed to be six weapons?

In Australia’s vast and sometimes wild countryside, many families will be all too familiar with firearms which may be needed to handle the more dangerous forms of wildlife.

The father, Sajid Akram, is believed to have obtained the licence. Although he probably didn’t have a criminal record to reveal overt threat indicators, it is believed his son Naveed was on the radar of Australian intelligence six years ago in regard to his connection to a previously convicted terrorist.

Now, in the aftermath of this shooting, stricter due-diligence protocols may be needed for future gun-licence applications. This will need to be reviewed.

The difficulty is that the intelligence services may be especially stretched. The number of individuals being recruited or radicalised might be far higher than the public fully realises and, as an Australian security associate conveyed, they are from various wide-ranging regions. The government may need to consider increasing the size of the intelligence apparatus.

The two alleged attackers, from a south-west Sydney suburb, certainly acquired enough proficiency to wield the weapons they used, which included a shotgun and possibly a bolt-action hunting-style rifle.

Given the size of the crowd that had gathered for the Hanukkah celebration, at least they had not used fully automatic rifles or the number of lives lost could have been even higher.

About ten years ago, in Tunisia, there was the horrific terrorist attack at a tourist resort at Port El Kantaoui. In that mass shooting, the gunman used a Kalashnikov assault rifle, causing the death of 38 people.

Going forward, the intelligence services and the police will be looking at the two gunmen’s connection to any cells that might still be operating in Australia and whoever else played key parts in inspiring them into these evil plans.

In the personal safety world, in regard to self-protection training, awareness and evasive skills in relation to terror attacks is something that gets addressed in our training sessions.

It’s not enough to simply tell people to run, create distance or look for cover.

These incidents are terrifying for people.

Civilians are not given the same level of training and exposure to active-shooter scenarios that military personnel receive.

It’s therefore important they are given mechanisms for coping with the fear.

Assertive breath-control methods can be helpful and people have to be able to access their internal survival instincts and movement skills to get away from the threat.

Things can get chaotic very quickly. It’s important to see the direction of crowd movements and, if possible, gain a sense of the attacker’s position.

People, particularly in built-up or confined areas, must be careful of falling or tripping and getting trampled by fleeing crowds.

Also, one wants to choose escape routes that reduce exposure to shots fired as much as possible and avoid getting boxed into an area where there’s little chance of hiding.

Should a person need to take cover, choosing the right type of cover may require quick thinking and the ability to keep low and less exposed.

Unfortunately, there are no guarantees, especially as these attacks often happen very suddenly. Also, some of the attendees were people in their senior years, making quick escapes challenging.

Situational awareness is vital as it may buy the time needed to take decisive action.

In regard to the shooting, people have been rightly acknowledging the courage of Ahmed al Ahmed, the man who closed in and successfully disarmed one of the shooters.

His actions most likely saved many lives. There are those moments or windows where a person might be able to initiate a neutralising counter.

Sometimes, one has no choice but to fight back and there are unconventional tactics that can be utilised in certain scenarios.

This brave man closed in with decisive conviction, using a rear angle and blind spot to get close and surprise the gunman.

His quick thinking enabled him to secure the gun and he also made a point of conveying to observers or law enforcement that he was not one of the gunmen.

This is something people must take into account if caught up in a terror attack. The young gunman was taken by surprise and appeared to have no weapon-retention training.

The footage also shows him losing his balance as he is disarmed and falling over in awkward fashion.

There was also courage shown by the police who engaged in direct confrontation with the two shooters, putting their own lives at risk.

Then there were those from security backgrounds and members of the public who administered first aid and helped the injured victims.

Sadly, for the families of the victims, this will not be an easy time. Certainly though, since the incident, in cities around Europe, the USA and Australia, the security presence around venues celebrating Hanukkah has significantly increased.

Indeed, throughout the festive season, like a light burning bright, there will now be a heightened state of alertness, as well as support and sympathy for those who have suffered.

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Aran Dharmeratnam is a private security consultant and an internationally known specialist in self-protection training. Aran is the founder of the Tri-Tier and runs the online security resource From the Hip.

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