ANKARA 

Law enforcement agencies in several major US cities have ramped up security at Hanukkah events following Sunday’s mass shooting at a Jewish celebration at Bondi Beach, Australia that killed at least 16 people, said media reports.

Authorities said Sunday’s attack, carried out by two gunmen, was “designed to target Sydney's Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah,” the Jewish Festival of Lights, reported New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who labeled the shooting a "terrorism event" during a press conference, according to US outlet ABC News.

In response, police departments in New York City and Suffolk County, both in New York state, as well as Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and Washington, DC deployed additional officers to synagogues, schools, and Hanukkah-related gatherings, despite confirming there are no credible local threats.

“This was a deliberate act of violence against Jews celebrating their faith,” the outlet quoted New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch as saying. “This is not an isolated incident. It is part of a wider assault on Jewish life.”

New York City has the largest Jewish population of any city in the world outside Israel.

Outgoing New York Mayor Eric Adams echoed the concern, stating: “This was just not a random act of violence. It was antisemitic and targeted Jewish people.”

The New York Police Department said it has increased uniformed personnel, heavy weapons teams, and specialized patrols.

Officials in New York’s Suffolk County, which includes parts of Long Island, added that they are monitoring developments and maintaining contact with Jewish community leaders.

In California, the Los Angeles Police Department said it would “provide extra patrols at Jewish facilities, schools, synagogues, and at Hanukkah events.”

The Beverly Hills Police Department also announced enhanced patrols and increased use of surveillance drones.

The Washington, DC Metropolitan Police said they were “deploying additional resources to synagogues out of an abundance of caution,” even though “there is no known nexus to DC” from the Bondi Beach attack.

At least 16 people were killed, including one of the assailants, and 42 remained in hospital after Sunday’s incident, which was the deadliest mass shooting in Australia in nearly 30 years.

Earlier, Australian police said that the two suspected gunmen in the shooting were a father and son, and that investigators are not searching for any additional suspects.

The father was killed at the scene, while the son remains in critical but stable condition in the hospital.