A heartbreaking image of loyalty has emerged from the Bondi Beach terror attack, where a faithful dog named Maui refused to leave her owner’s side after he was fatally shot during a Hanukkah celebration.
The attack, which took place on Sunday, December 14, has been declared one of the deadliest acts of terrorism in Australia’s history.
Two gunmen opened fire on families gathered for the festival of lights, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more in what authorities have described as a terror attack.
A horrifying shooting unfolded during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday (December 14). Credit: Izhar Khan / Getty
Dog’s Loyalty in the Midst of Chaos
Maui’s owner was walking his dogs near the celebration when the shooting began.
He was among those killed, but footage captured his loyal companion standing guard beside his body as chaos unfolded around her.
“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,” said Anne-Marie Curry, founder of Arthur & Co. Pet Detectives, who helped reunite the dog with Morrison’s wife after the tragedy.
Local residents who knew the victim were heartbroken by the images. “Our friend was Maui’s dad, who was killed. She adored her dad, and my heart breaks for her,” one resident said. “Thank you to whoever it was who caught her and got her home.”
Another Victim Remembered as a Hero
Another victim, named Reuven Morrison, 62, was hailed as a hero after dying while courageously confronting one of the gunmen during the Bondi Beach attack.
Witnesses said Morrison threw a brick at one of the terrorists, forcing them to retreat before being shot dead by police.
“If there was one way for him to go on this earth, it would be fighting a terrorist,” his daughter, Sheina Gutnick, said, per Metro. “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 Al 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 continued.
“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 added.
Morrison, a Soviet-born member of Australia’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, was described by loved ones as a man of “absolute immense and endless generosity.”
The Deadliest Attack in Decades
According to New South Wales Police, the attack was carried out by two gunmen, Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed Akram, who opened fire on the crowd from a bridge overlooking the beach.
Sajid was killed during the incident, while his 24-year-old son survived and has since been charged with 59 offenses, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of causing grievous bodily harm, and one count of committing a terrorist act.
Investigators said ISIS flags and improvised explosive devices were found in a vehicle linked to the suspects, confirming their ties to extremist ideology.
Naveed, who was critically injured and later revived from a coma, remains under police guard as he awaits formal questioning.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters, “For his fairness, we need him to understand what is exactly happening,” confirming that questioning will begin once the suspect is medically cleared.
A horrifying shooting unfolded during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on December 14. Credit: James D. Morgan / Getty
The mass shooting has left the Sydney Jewish community and the nation in mourning.
The victims included British-born assistant rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, of Chabad of Bondi, alongside families, elders, and children gathered to mark the first night of Hanukkah.
The massacre has prompted renewed discussions about extremism in Australia, as the nation faces its deadliest mass killing in more than three decades.