Australia has been left reeling after a shooting attack on a Jewish celebration in Sydney's Bondi area left at least 15 people dead, along with one of the alleged gunmen. Police were called to Archer Park, near Bondi Beach, at 6.47pm local time on Sunday following reports of gunfire. Two men, armed with long-barrelled weapons, fired repeatedly at a large crowd gathered for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, with the incident later declared a terrorist attack.
The victims ranged in age from a 10-year-old girl named Matilda to an 87-year-old, the oldest believed killed. Among the dead were Holocaust survivor Alexander Kleytman, London-born rabbi Eli Schlanger, French national Dan Elkayam, businessman Reuven Morrison, and retired police officer Peter Meagher. Forty-one people, including four children, were taken to hospital. By Wednesday evening, 17 remained in Sydney hospitals, with one in a critical condition and four in a critical but stable condition. Two police officers were also injured.
Police formally charged the 24-year-old survivor with 59 offences, including committing a terrorist attack, 15 counts of murder, and 40 counts of wounding or grievous bodily harm with intent to murder. He was also charged with discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, displaying a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol, and placing an explosive in or near a building. The other gunman, his 50-year-old father, was shot and killed by police at the scene. The pair were named in media as Sajid and Naveed Akram, with Naveed being the son now in custody.
Police said early indications suggested the attack was inspired by Islamic State, a listed terrorist organisation in Australia. The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, confirmed Naveed Akram was an Australian-born citizen, while his father arrived in 1998 on a student visa and later held resident return visas. Both men travelled to the Philippines in November, and the reason for their trip remains under investigation. The NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, said Sajid Akram was a licensed firearms holder with six guns, though his licence had lapsed before being reissued in 2023.
Bomb disposal experts removed two active improvised explosive devices from a car registered to Naveed Akram at the scene, with a third device later found at Bondi. The car also contained two homemade Islamic State flags. In response, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened an urgent national cabinet meeting on Monday, with state leaders agreeing to strengthen gun laws. Proposed changes include limits on the number of firearms a person can hold and restricting licences to Australian citizens. The NSW government plans to recall parliament next week to enact the reforms.
