'I could hear the screams!' Eyewitness says Bondi Beach 'on lockdown' after fatal terror attack

Police have confirmed that the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia is being treated as a terrorist attack.

At least 12 people were killed, with the gunman also dying at the scene, during celebrations marking the first day of Hanukkah. A further 29 people, including a child, have been taken to hospitals across Sydney.

Ms Heath told The People's Channel: "I actually currently live in Bondi Beach, and I was just leaving my house when I could hear gunshots.

"I thought maybe it was kids getting up to whatever they get up to after the social media ban here, trying to entertain themselves with bangers and that kind of thing

"Then, as I was leaving my house to head down to the beach, I could hear these gunshots and this banging, and people started running and yelling, 'get back in the house, get back in the house. There’s a gunman, there’s a gunman.'

"At that point, no one really knew how many there were. Someone was shouting there were three, there were two, we weren’t really sure.

"So I went back into my house, and you could still hear gunshots. Honestly, it’s maybe two minutes away from where I live.

"I’d literally just come back from the beach and was heading back down to watch the sunset, because we’d all heard it was going to be a nice one on a Sunday evening.

"In the end, it turned into a very different Sunday evening for everyone.b It’s been quite an evening here in Bondi Beach, with lots of different WhatsApp groups across various communities and people reporting different things they had seen.

"A friend of mine had to lock themselves in a stock room in a pub because that was the only place they could go.

"Some others were stuck on stairs about 30 of them in one place. Another friend was hiding behind bins behind a restaurant near where it happened and stayed there for about an hour and a half."

"There have also been people offering up rooms for anyone who needs somewhere to stay. One woman was separated from her dog while running away from the beach and posted about it in a group.

"There was a big effort to share images and help find it, and I believe she has now been reunited with her dog through those community efforts.

"When asked how many shots I heard or how long the shooting lasted, I honestly started to wonder whether someone was setting off fireworks. It wasn’t just a couple of gunshots there were a lot.

"It went on, from what I could hear, for at least a couple of minutes. I was thinking, what on earth is going on? How have these kids got all these bangers?

"Why fireworks on a random sunny Sunday afternoon? It wasn’t just a couple of shots, it was extensive gunfire."

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed they will "make sure no stone is left unturned" in regards to a potential third gunman, adding police are investigating "thoroughly" of any other people linked to the shooting.

Premier Chris Minns said the attack was "designed to target Sydney's Jewish community".

He said there will be a "significant investigation" led by counter-terrorism, adding: "The fact that it is the first day of Hannukah, the types of weapons...

"Some of the other items we found at the scene - we have found the improvised explosive device in a car which is linked to the deceased offender," he explained when asked why the incident had been declared a terrorist attack.

Mr Lanyon confirmed a rescue bomb disposal unit is working on the vehicle that the device was found in.

Commissioner Lanyon also said police are "aware" of one of the gunmen, but "that does not mean there was any specific threat posed by that person".