SYDNEY, Australia: After a father-and-son duo slaughtered at least 15 people celebrating Hanukkah at Sydney's Bondi Beach on December 14, politicians promised to immediately overhaul Australia's already strict gun control laws.

The attack has fueled criticism in Australia against authorities accused of not doing enough to combat a surge in antisemitic crimes.

Among the proposed measures are a cap on the number of firearms an individual may own and periodic reviews of gun licences. Together with other steps, they would mark a significant overhaul of the landmark national firearms agreement, which effectively banned rapid-fire rifles after a gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania in 1996, spurring the nation into action.

"The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

He also confirmed that Australia's primary domestic spy agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, had investigated the younger suspected gunman for six months in 2019.

The ABC reported that the agency had examined the son's ties to a Sydney-based Islamic State group cell. Albanese did not describe the associates, but said the agency was interested in them rather than the son.

Australian police revealed on December 16 that the father-son duo had travelled to the Philippines last month, and they were investigating the purpose of the trip. The Philippines police have said they are also investigating the matter.

"Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State, allegedly committed by a father and son," Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said at a news conference.

Meanwhile, Albanese's announcement to review licences and limit the number of guns someone could own was made after authorities revealed that the older suspected gunman had held a gun licence for a decade, and that the six guns he owned were illegal.

On December 15, leaders of the federal and state governments also wanted to restrict gun ownership to Australian citizens. This would have excluded the older suspect, who came to Australia in 1998 on a student visa and became a permanent resident after marrying a local woman. Officials refused to confirm which country he had migrated from.

His son, who doesn't have a gun licence, is an Australian-born citizen.

Government leaders also proposed the "additional use of criminal intelligence" in deciding who was eligible for a gun licence. That could mean the son's suspicious associates could disqualify the father from owning a gun.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said his state's gun laws would change, but he could not yet detail how. Sydney is the state capital.

"If you're not a farmer, you're not involved in agriculture, why do you need these massive weapons that put the public in danger and make life dangerous and difficult for New South Wales Police?" Minns asked.

Two police officers were among those hospitalized. The dead included a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi, and a Holocaust survivor.

Although authorities had not formally identified any of the victims, details about those killed — whose ages ranged from 10 to 87 — began to emerge the day after the shooting.

One of them was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, an assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and an organizer of the family Hanukkah event that was targeted, according to Chabad, the Orthodox Jewish movement.

Israel's Foreign Ministry confirmed that an Israeli citizen was killed but provided no further information. French President Emmanuel Macron said a French citizen, identified as Dan Elkayam, was also among the dead.

Larisa Kleytman told reporters outside St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney that her husband, Alexander Kleytman, was killed. According to The Australian newspaper, the couple were both Holocaust survivors.