Australia is reeling from its second-worst mass shooting in history after a terrorist attack on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach left fifteen people dead and forty others injured.
Panic on the Promenade: The Attack Unfolds
The horrific incident began at approximately 6:47pm on Sunday evening. According to eyewitnesses, two attackers, later identified as Naveed Akram, 24, and his 50-year-old father Sajid Akram, stepped out of a vehicle on Campbell Parade near the iconic Bondi Pavilion. They then opened fire with what appeared to be semi-automatic firearms on hundreds gathered to mark the first night of Hanukkah.
Dramatic footage from the scene shows the terrifying moment the peaceful festival turned into a massacre. Videos captured the sound of blast after blast along the popular tourist strip, sending panicked beachgoers fleeing for their lives, abandoning their belongings on the sand.
Horror from the Beach House
Separate chilling video, taken from a nearby beach house where a group of young adults were partying, records the exact moment they realised the severity of the situation. As music blared, one woman is heard shouting 'what the f***' upon seeing people sprinting manically away from the beach.
The group's terror is palpable as they scramble to secure the house, with another voice urgently yelling, 'have they locked the front door? Lock the front door!'. Friends can be heard desperately calling to each other, with screams of 'Charlotte, get the f*** inside' and 'Laura, come here' cutting through the chaos.
Victims and Aftermath
The attack claimed the lives of fifteen innocent people. The victims included a 10-year-old girl, a Holocaust survivor, a London-born rabbi, and a retired police officer. As of today, twelve of the injured remain in a critical condition, with a total of 26 patients being treated across seven Sydney hospitals.
At the scene, police also discovered a suspected improvised explosive device (IED), highlighting the planned nature of the assault. Magazines from the firearms were scattered on the ground.
Suspects and Background
The alleged perpetrators have been named as father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram. Sajid Akram was shot dead by police at the scene. It is understood he originally came from Pakistan, arriving in Australia on a student visa in 1998.
His son, Naveed, an Australian-born citizen, was arrested at the scene with critical injuries and remains under police guard in hospital. He had previously been investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) in 2019 over alleged close ties to a Sydney-based Islamic State cell.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed Sajid Akram had held a resident return visa since transferring from a partner visa in 2001.
Stories of Survival and Bravery
Amid the tragedy, stories of incredible bravery have emerged. One mother, Jessica, described the harrowing moments she used her own body to shield her five-year-old daughter, Shemi, as gunfire erupted around them at the celebration.
Jessica told the ABC she initially saw people smiling and looking up, mistakenly thinking the shots were fireworks. Realising the danger, she grabbed Shemi and ran to a sunken area in the grass, joining other parents who threw themselves on top of their children to protect them.
The Bondi Beach attack stands as Australia's worst mass shooting in three decades, sending shockwaves through the nation and the international community, and raising urgent questions about security and extremism.
