Deadly Antisemitic Attack at Bondi Beach: Father and Son Kill 15 at Jewish Hanukkah Celebration in Australia

Police confirmed on Monday that the two gunmen responsible for killing at least 15 people at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach were a father and son. This marks Australia's deadliest shooting in nearly three decades, despite the country's strict gun control laws.

Sajid Akram, aged 50, was fatally shot by police during the incident. His 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, sustained injuries and was receiving hospital treatment, according to New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon.

According to US intelligence officials briefed on the investigation, the attackers were likely of Pakistani origin. Social media has circulated an image of Akram's New South Wales driver's license, showing him wearing what appears to be a green shirt resembling a Pakistani cricket team jersey.

Australian Home Minister Tony Burke revealed that the son is an Australian-born citizen, while the father arrived in Australia in 1998 on a student visa, which was later converted to a partner visa and then resident return visas in 2001.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the attackers deliberately targeted the Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah.

According to an Indian Intelligence Bureau official quoted by IANS, Naveed had been investigated by Australian Intelligence six years earlier for potential links to Islamic State. The official suggested he may have been deliberately keeping a low profile to avoid detection until carrying out this attack.

Investigators reported that Sajid Akram owned a fruit shop, while his son had lost his bricklaying job approximately two months earlier when his employer became insolvent. Police noted that Sajid had held a gun license for around a decade.

The violence erupted at the end of a summer day when thousands had gathered at Bondi Beach, including hundreds attending the Chanukah by the Sea celebration. Witnesses described the attack lasting approximately 10 minutes, causing hundreds of people to scatter along the beach and into nearby streets. Officials stated that around 1,000 people had attended the targeted Hanukkah event in a small park adjacent to the beach.

Emergency services responded to reports of gunfire at approximately 6:45 p.m. Eyewitness videos captured beachgoers in swimwear fleeing from the water as shots rang out. Other footage showed two men wearing black shirts firing long guns from a footbridge leading to the beach.

While authorities have not specified the weapons used, video evidence suggests the attackers employed what appeared to be a bolt-action rifle and a shotgun.

A dramatic video broadcast on Australian television showed a bystander tackling and disarming one of the gunmen before pointing the weapon at him and then placing it on the ground. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns praised this individual, identified by relatives to Australian media as fruit shop owner Ahmed al Ahmed, calling him a "genuine hero." A fundraising page for Ahmed had raised over A$200,000 ($133,000) by Monday morning.

Commissioner Lanyon stated that one gunman was known to security services, but authorities had no indication of a planned attack.

Police conducted a raid at the attackers' home in Bonnyrigg, a suburb approximately 36 km (22 miles) west of Sydney's Central Business District, establishing a security cordon around several neighboring properties.

The victims ranged in age from 10 to 87 years old, according to Premier Minns. At least 42 others were receiving hospital treatment on Monday morning, with several in critical condition.

Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish organization that conducts outreach worldwide and sponsors events during major Jewish holidays, identified Rabbi Eli Schlanger, assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and an event organizer, among the deceased.

Mass shootings are uncommon in Australia, which is considered one of the world's safest countries. Sunday's attack was the worst since 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people at the Port Arthur tourist site in Tasmania.

Trent Tur, an 18-year-old lifesaver, told Reuters, "We were in the water and next second we see people laying on the floor, a kid was shot, it was probably the worst thing I've ever seen. Honestly, it's terrible. As a community we can move forward from this, it will be hard but the spirit, the Australian spirit in Bondi is very high and we can move forward."

Rabbi Mendel Kastel, whose brother-in-law Eli Schlanger was killed in the attack, told Reuters: "You can very easily become very angry and try to blame people, turn on people but that's not what this is about. It's about a community."

Authorities expressed confidence that only two attackers were involved, after previously investigating whether a third perpetrator participated.

Prime Minister Albanese visited Bondi Beach Monday morning, laying flowers near the scene. Mourners wearing kippah (skullcaps worn by some Jewish men) placed candles, flowers, and Israeli and Australian flags at the site.

Albanese described the attack as "a dark moment for our nation" and said security agencies were thoroughly investigating the motive.

"What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location," Albanese told reporters. "The Jewish community are hurting today. Today, all Australians wrap our arms around them and say, we stand with you. We will do whatever is necessary to stamp out antisemitism. It is a scourge, and we will eradicate it together."

Albanese acknowledged that several world leaders, including US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, had reached out in solidarity. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the attack.

During a White House Christmas reception, President Trump remarked, "In Australia, there was a terrible attack... and that was an antisemitic attack, obviously," expressing condolences to victims of both the Bondi attack and another shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island.

Sunday's shootings represent the most serious in a series of antisemitic attacks targeting synagogues, buildings, and cars in Australia since the beginning of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he had previously warned Prime Minister Albanese that Australia's support for Palestinian statehood would intensify antisemitism.