Authorities say the Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting was carried out by a father and son, Sajid and Naveed Akram, using legally held firearms in an attack that killed at least 15 people. New details have emerged about the victims, including a Holocaust survivor, as questions are raised over gun licensing, policing and a surge in antisemitic incidents.
A terrorist mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach during the "Chanukah by the Sea" celebration on December 14, 2025, left at least 15 people dead and dozens wounded, in what authorities have described as an antisemitic attack on the Jewish community.
Police have identified the alleged gunmen as Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son, Naveed, both from Sydney. New South Wales authorities and multiple news outlets report that the pair opened fire from a pedestrian bridge overlooking Archer Park, next to Bondi Beach, during the early evening event attended by roughly 1,000 people. Sajid was shot dead by police at the scene; Naveed was wounded and remains in hospital in a critical condition.
According to reporting by the Daily Wire, citing Australian officials and media, Sajid immigrated to Australia in 1998 on a student visa and later became a permanent resident after marrying an Australian citizen, while Naveed was born in Australia. One of the attackers — identified in several outlets as Naveed — had been investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) in 2019 for alleged links to an Islamic State cell but was deemed not to pose an ongoing threat at the time. Australian police and intelligence officials have said the attack is being treated as an act of Islamist extremism and antisemitic terrorism, and ISIS flags were reportedly found in the attackers’ vehicle.
Police say Sajid was a lawful gun owner who held multiple firearms licences. New South Wales Police and subsequent reports state that six firearms were recovered at the scene and that the older gunman legally possessed six guns through a gun club membership and a recreational hunting licence. Authorities have described the weapons as a straight‑pull or bolt‑action rifle and shotguns; video from the scene also appeared to show the use of long guns rather than semi‑automatic rifles.
Two improvised explosive devices were found in connection with the attack. New South Wales Police told reporters the devices were "rudimentary" but active and were safely rendered inert. They did not detonate during the incident.
The casualty toll has fluctuated as authorities update their figures. As of Monday, officials said at least 15 people had been killed, including a child, with some outlets subsequently reporting 16 deaths as critically injured victims succumbed to their wounds. More than 40 people were injured, among them children and at least two police officers.
Among those killed were several figures who have since been publicly identified by family members, Jewish organisations and media reports. They include Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a Chabad emissary and organiser of the event; another Chabad rabbi, Yaakov Levitan; community member Reuven Morrison; 10‑year‑old Matilda; Randwick rugby official and photographer Peter Meagher; Rockdale Ilinden football figure Dan Elkayam; and Holocaust survivor Alexander (Alex) Kleytman, who was reported to have died while shielding his wife. These names and biographical details have been reported by Australian and international outlets, including the Daily Wire, ABC News and others that have compiled victim lists in the days after the attack.
First‑hand accounts from survivors have conveyed the terror and confusion that followed the first shots. In an interview cited by the Daily Wire and other outlets, eyewitness Arslan Ostrovsky, who said he was grazed in the head, described the scene as "absolute chaos" and "an absolute bloodbath," recalling children and elderly people scrambling for cover as gunfire erupted from the bridge above.
A bystander, identified by officials and media as Syrian‑born Ahmed al‑Ahmed, has been widely hailed as a hero after he tackled and helped disarm one of the gunmen on the pedestrian bridge. According to Australian reports referenced by Reuters and the Daily Wire, Ahmed was shot in the shoulder during the confrontation and underwent surgery but is expected to recover. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns later visited him in hospital and praised his actions as those of a "real‑life hero."
The duration of the shooting remains under examination. Police and investigative timelines reviewed by the BBC and Australian broadcasters have authenticated an approximately 11‑minute continuous video of the gunmen firing from the bridge. Some accounts, including reporting by the Daily Wire, have characterised the incident as lasting around 20 minutes from the first shots until the scene was secured.
Questions have been raised about the speed and nature of the police response. Video and commentary circulated on social media and referenced in Daily Wire opinion coverage have alleged that multiple armed officers were nearby and did not immediately confront the attackers. New South Wales Police have said they are reviewing the response as part of broader investigations, but as of now official findings on officers’ actions have not been released.
The shooting has intensified debate about gun control in Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking after the attack, said the government would examine further tightening of the country’s already strict firearms regime and that Australia must "take whatever action is necessary," including "tougher gun laws," as reported by the Associated Press and the Daily Wire. New South Wales Premier Minns has also signalled changes, questioning why civilians who are not farmers or involved in agriculture should have access to high‑powered long guns.
Australia’s current gun laws date largely from the reforms enacted after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. Those measures banned most civilian ownership of semi‑automatic rifles and pump‑action shotguns, introduced mandatory licensing and background checks, a 28‑day waiting period and a requirement that applicants show a "genuine reason" for holding a firearm. Self‑defence is not accepted as such a reason.
Jewish organisations say the attack took place amid a steep rise in antisemitic incidents since the Hamas‑led assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing war in Gaza. According to a report by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry cited by the Daily Wire, 1,654 antisemitic incidents were recorded between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025 — roughly five times the average annual number in the decade before the 2023 Hamas attack. Linda Bennett Menasha, president of the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia, told The Times of Israel that community leaders had warned the government about escalating antisemitism for two years but felt their pleas went largely unheeded.
Australian leaders across the political spectrum have condemned the shooting. Prime Minister Albanese has described it as a "devastating terrorist incident" and "an act of pure evil" targeting Jewish Australians during Hanukkah. State and federal authorities have vowed to improve protections for Jewish communities and to reassess how individuals with prior extremist links can retain legal access to firearms.
The Bondi Beach shooting is the deadliest mass shooting in Australia since the Port Arthur massacre and has been widely described as the country’s worst antisemitic terror attack. Investigations into the attackers’ radicalisation, the precise sequence of events and the performance of law enforcement are ongoing.
