England cricket legend Michael Vaughan has revealed he was nearby when the Bondi Beach shooting took place in Sydney on Sunday.
A total of 12 people are, at the time of writing, confirmed to have been killed after two individuals fired towards a crowd on Bondi Beach.
Over 1,000 people were present on the beach attending an event to mark the beginning of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of light.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has said that the attack was 'designed to target Sydney's Jewish community', while Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described it as 'an act of evil antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation'.
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One of the 12 people killed was an alleged gunman, it has been confirmed, with the other in police custody in a critical condition.
Footage posted on social media from during the attack shows that a bystander managed to tackle one of the alleged gunmen to the ground, before then disarming him and forcing him to retreat.
England's cricket team are currently in Australia for the Ashes, along with broadcast crews.
The playing squad have been in Noosa, Brisbane - around a 12-hour drive from Sydney - as they prepare for the crucial Test match.
Vaughan, who is working on the series for Fox Sports Australia and The Overlap's Stick to Cricket, decided instead to spend his downtime in Sydney.
He told The Telegraph in an interview prior to the attack: "I am back in Coogee, Sydney now. It's the place I always come back to in between games.
"It's busier at 6am with people exercising rather than 11pm drinking."
And the former England captain has revealed that he was in Bondi when the shooting took place - and was 'locked' in a nearby restaurant.
He posted on Twitter: "Being locked in a restaurant in Bondi was scary ... Now home safe ... but thanks so much to the emergency services and the guy who confronted the terrorist.
"Thoughts with all who have been affected."
Following the incident, NSW Police released the following statement: "A police operation is ongoing after a public place shooting by two men at Bondi Beach earlier today.
"Emergency services were called to Campbell Parade about 6:45pm (Sunday 14 December 2025), responding to reports of shots being fired.
"Officers attached to Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command attended assisted by multiple resources across the city.
"A number of suspicious items located in the vicinity are being examined by specialist officers and an exclusion zone is in place. A multi-agency response is continuing."
Ryan Smart