On 14 December 2025, an Islamic State (ISIS)-inspired terrorist attack occurred at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, during a celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah attended by around 1,000 people. Beginning at 6:42 pm[4], two gunmen, allegedly Sajid Akram[a] and his son Naveed Akram[b] killed 15 people, including a ten-year-old child.
Four people confronted the gunmen, attempting to foil the attack. Three were killed, and one suffered gunshot wounds. Volunteer surf lifesavers and Waverly Council lifeguards rushed to the scene to provide first aid during the active shooting. Members of the New South Wales Police Force shot the two alleged gunmen, killing Sajid Akram and critically injuring Naveed Akram, who was detained. Forty people, including at least two police officers, were injured and taken to various hospitals. Four homemade bombs were thrown into the crowd but failed to detonate. Another homemade bomb was found in a car belonging to one of the shooters.
Numerous world leaders, news outlets and Australian authorities declared that the shooting was motivated by antisemitism. Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the shooting was "deliberately targeted at the Jewish community on the first day of Chanukah".[c] Police charged Naveed Akram with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder. The ongoing investigation by the Federal and NSW police forces is named "Operation Arques". A Royal Commission will investigate NSW authorities' policies and practices.
It is the deadliest terror attack and the second-deadliest mass shooting in Australia in modern history. Mass casualty attacks are uncommon in Australia; it enacted strict gun laws in response to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, in which 35 people were killed.
Background
Australia's gun laws include restrictions on automatic, semi-automatic and pump action rifles, as well as shotguns, which were introduced after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.[9][10][11] Despite this, the number of firearms in Australia, and the number of people licensed to own them, has increased. In New South Wales, where the Bondi Beach shooting took place, there were 260,000 gun licences in 2025, up from 181,000 in 2001.[12][13]
In August 2024, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation raised Australia's national terrorism threat level from "possible" to "probable", citing the risk of community tensions and political violence related to the Gaza war as one of the reasons for doing so.[14][15]
The attack targeted an annual Hanukkah community celebration organised by Chabad named "Chanukah by the Sea".[19][20] The event was being held at Archer Park just east of the Bondi Pavilion, with around 1,000 people in attendance.[21]
Police allege that Sajid and Naveed Akram, a father and his son, threw three pipe bombs and a tennis ball bomb into the crowd from a footbridge arching over the carpark to the north of the Bondi Pavilion, all of which failed to detonate. After throwing the bombs, they then began shooting into the crowd.[22] Initial videos of the attack showed two men dressed in black tops firing on the crowd from the footbridge,[23][24] reportedly with a straight pull bolt action rifle and a shotgun.[25][26] Emergency services were first called to the scene at 18:47(AEDT, UTC+11).[27][21]New South Wales Police released a statement at 18:57 confirming their response to an ongoing incident.[28]
Naveed paused and appeared to wave away bystanders approaching him from directions other than that of the Hanukkah celebration, before resuming fire at the Jewish gathering.[29]
A bystander began capturing a nearly continuous 11-minute video shortly after the gunmen opened fire, filming the attackers from the street side of the footbridge approximately 50 metres (160ft) away. The video captured the final moments of the shooting including the first police officer stepping onto the footbridge to apprehend the gunmen, as well as the treating of wounded people.[21]
Several police officers used their pistols to shoot at the gunmen from both sides of the footbridge.[30][31] A detective, using a tree as cover approximately 40 metres (130ft) away, fired on the gunmen from behind, killing Sajid with a fatal shot to the head.[32][33] The detective, and also a female officer, are believed to have shot at Naveed and both wounded him in the stomach.[34][bettersourceneeded] A bystander went onto the bridge and kicked away a weapon from one of the gunmen; continued fire forced him to duck, and the bystander was briefly mistaken for an attacker by other bystanders.[35]
The wounded Naveed was apprehended by police and rushed to hospital in critical condition under police guard.[23][36][37] The gunmen had fired about 83 rounds, with approximately 20 additional rounds fired by police.[38]
More than 123 ambulance personnel attended the scene.[39]
Numerous acts of intervention by civilians were exhibited during the attack. Prior to the start of the attack, Boris and Sofia Gurman, a Russian-Jewish Australian couple, noticed an Islamic State flag displayed on a parked vehicle. Sajid exited the vehicle, at which point the Gurmans struggled with him, seizing his gun. Sajid then retrieved another rifle and shot them both dead.[40][41]
During the attack itself, Ahmed al-Ahmed, an unarmed 43-year-old Syrian Australian Muslim and father of two[42] born in Al-Nayrab, Syria, disarmed Sajid. Al-Ahmed approached him by crouching between two parked cars.[43][44][45] He approached the gunman from behind, seized the weapon, and turned it toward Sajid before propping the weapon against a tree.[46][44][47] Sajid then retreated to the bridge, where one of the gunmen shot and wounded al-Ahmed twice.[48]
After reaching a safe place, Gefen Bitton ran back toward the gunfire after seeing al-Ahmed confront Sajid. While doing this, he was shot several times and was critically injured.[49]
Reuven Morrison charged Sajid as he retreated, throwing a brick and attempting to disrupt the attack. A gunman shot and killed him.[40][50]
In addition to those who directly confronted the gunmen, off-duty volunteer lifesavers from Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club and North Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club, immediately adjacent to Archer Park, rushed to the aid of victims under fire at the risk to their own lives. They were on the (unsecured) scene before ambulance crews arrived. They used surfboards as stretchers and depleted the club's stock of bandages, as well as giving approximately 250 people shelter inside the club, including a heavily pregnant woman who went into labour during the attack.[51] There was also one water rescue.[52][53]
New South Wales Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane was among those present who helped surf lifesavers giving first aid to victims.[54]
The gunmen mostly fired from this footbridge (2019 photo). The view is from the northwest; Archer Park is in the background.
A 2018 aerial view of Bondi Beach proper; Archer Park is in the centre, with the footbridge over the car park to its north. The curving road is Campbell Parade.
Victims
Sixteen people were killed in the attack (including gunman Sajid Akram, who was killed at the scene by police), with 14 having died at the scene and two in a hospital.[55][56] Forty people were injured and taken to a hospital, including the other gunman, Naveed Akram, with five people in critical condition.[56][39]As of 26December2025[update], 11 people remained in hospital.[57]
The 15 victims killed in the shooting were:[58][59][60]
Edith Brutman, 68, vice president of B'nai B'rith NSW anti-prejudice and anti-discrimination committee
On the night of the attack, the NSW police commissioner Mal Lanyon declared the attack a terrorist incident,[36][70] Australian intelligence officials said one of the offenders was known to them.[70] After the shooting, police located a large box-like homemade bomb in the boot of the suspects' vehicle.[71][72][73] The investigation was named Operation Arques.[74][75] Following the incident, Operation Shelter, a NSW Police operation aimed at preventing antisemitic and other hate-related attacks, was expanded, with additional personnel, resources, and operational support deployed to boost surveillance and increase police presence across Sydney.[76][77]
On the day of the attack, police raided a property in Bonnyrigg where the gunmen had lived. Three people were taken into custody, but released without charge shortly thereafter.[78]
Police raided an Airbnb house in Campsie where the suspects were believed to have been staying prior to the attack.[79]The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the pair had told family members they were going on a fishing trip to Jervis Bay.[79]
Investigators were looking into a trip the two suspects made to the Philippines a month before the attack, to see whether they received military training there.[85][86] According to Filipino officials, the men travelled to Manila on 1 November, Sajid Akram on an Indian passport and Naveed Akram on an Australian one, and then headed to Davao City, on the island of Mindanao, where an IS insurgency is ongoing.[87] According to local police and staff, they spent their entire 28-day stay in Davao City, rarely leaving their hotel room and then for only an hour or so at a time, and receiving no visitors, before departing on 28 November.[88][89] Per hotel staff, they had initially booked a 7-day stay, but repeatedly extended it.[88]
On 22 December, further details of the attack were later released following the lifting of a court suppression order, that four homemade bombs had been thrown into the crowd but had failed to detonate.[90][22]
On 30 December, Barrett said that "There is no evidence to suggest these alleged offenders were part of a broader terrorist cell or were directed by others to carry out an attack".[91]
Accused
According to New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon, the suspected shooters were a father and son: Sajid Akram, age 50, and Naveed Akram, age 24.[79][92] The Telangana Police reported that Sajid Akram was an Indian national born into a family from Tolichowki, Hyderabad, who was a former student at Anwar-ul College in Nampally and had emigrated to Australia on 8 November 1998 on a student visa after completing a business degree in Hyderabad and marrying a woman in Australia.[93][94] Telangana Police also reported that Sajid had no "adverse record" prior to his emigration, and that his family in India appeared to be unaware of his "radical mindset or activities".[95] According to Australian home affairs minister Tony Burke, he transferred to a partner visa in 2001 and later obtained a resident return visa as a consequence of being an Australian permanent resident.[96] Later that same year, his son Naveed Akram was born on 12 August 2001,[97] and is an Australian-born citizen.[92] Sajid was shot and killed by New South Wales Police at the scene of the attack; Naveed was hospitalised in critical condition and woke from a coma two days later on 17 December.[98]
Sajid had a firearms licence, was the registered owner of six guns, and was a member of a shooting club.[26][99][100] Naveed had trained at the same shooting club.[101][100] Three firearms were used during the attack, and a fourth was located at the scene.[99][102] The firearms used during the attack are believed to be a Beretta BRX1 .308straight-pull rifle and two Stoeger M3000 M3K 12-gauge straight-pull shotguns.[102][103]
Naveed had been known to intelligence officials since 2019 but was deemed "not an immediate threat".[92] As a teenager, he followed radical Islamic preacher Wissam Haddad, who was found to have violated Australia's racial hatred laws in 2025.[104][105][106] He regularly worshipped at Haddad's Bankstown prayer space, the Al Madina Dawah Centre. Videos from 2019 show him proselytising and distributing pamphlets for the Street Dawah Movement. Weeks later, police arrested several associates of the movement, including Isaac El Matari, a self-declared Australian commander of Islamic State (IS) and friend of the son. El Matari is serving a seven-year sentence for plotting an insurgency and attempting to acquire firearms. Another associate, Radwan Dakkak, received 18 months for IS membership and distributing propaganda. Despite these connections, authorities concluded Naveed Akram was not a high-risk member of this network.[107] Police said both gunmen had pledged allegiance to IS,[92][108][109] and two IS flags were found in their car.[110][111] According to police reports, documents prove the gunmen planned the attack months ahead.[112]
They were inspired by Islamic State ideology, but appear to fit the profile of "lone wolf" attackers.[113] According to Philippine National Police, the pair rarely left the hotel during their visit, and there is no evidence that they undertook training for their attacks.[114]
Floral tributes to victims of Bondi Beach shooting
Prevention of retaliatory race riots
The attack exacerbated older ethnic and religious tensions in the community. In the immediate aftermath of the attack there were threats of escalating violent retaliation. Incitement circulated online for a retaliatory "bashing day" focused on Cronulla, a beach near Bondi that was the epicentre of a previous anti-Arab and anti-Muslimrace riot in 2005.[117][118] In response to this, public assemblies were prohibited across the entire Sydney metro area for 14 days.[119]
The targets of the calls for violent retaliation were the "Middle Eastern" and broader locally-described "wog" ethnic groups, referring to Lebanese Australians and other Eastern Mediterranean ethnic groups, the target of the previous mob violence.[120][121][122] The previous race riots, almost exactly 20 years before the Bondi attack, were triggered by local violent crimes committed by individual Lebanese Australian men in Sydney, in the context of tensions already heightened by terrorist attacks in Bali in 2002 targeting Australian tourists, and the September 11 attacks in 2001.[123]
A 20-year-old man appeared in court on charges of "using a carriage service to menace, harass, offend, and publicly threaten violence on grounds of race or religion". He had called for violence in response to the attack in Bondi.[124][125]
Anti-Muslim incidents throughout Australia
Two weeks after the attack, the Australian National Imams Council reported an almost 200% increase in hostile acts towards Australian Muslims and Islamic institutions, including vandalism, online abuse, and physical intimidation, in particular towards women wearing hijabs.[126] Some groups started taking security measures, such as members sleeping in mosques overnight to protect the buildings against vandalism.[127]
Practical and official responses
Following the shooting, the Queensland Police Service increased their security presence at Jewish places of worship.[128] Across Australia and New Zealand, Jewish events were cancelled due to the security risks from terror threats, after already having had to cancel many public events in recent years due to the high risk of attacks.[129][130][128] In other areas of Sydney, Jewish synagogues, schools, and similar sites were closed on 15 December.[131]
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese described the shooting as "shocking and distressing" and called it "deliberately targeted at the Jewish community on the first day of Chanukah" and "an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism and terrorism on our shores".[70][36][62][39] He later said that more could have been done to prevent the attack, and that he accepts his share of responsibility as the prime minister.[132] The minister for home affairs, Tony Burke, called the shooting an "appalling act of violence".[133] The Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, said "the reports and images coming out of Bondi tonight are deeply distressing" and encouraged people to follow the directions of police.[36] Victorian premier Jacinta Allan increased funding for security services for Jewish spaces.[134]
Australian opposition leader Sussan Ley delayed the release of the Coalition’s new migration policy, citing concerns about fraying social cohesion and the risk that a fresh debate on migration levels would be inflammatory during an extremely sensitive time. Instead of pursuing the migration debate, Ley shifted the Coalition's focus to national security and counterterrorism, calling for the immediate formation of an antisemitism and counter-terrorism taskforce.[135]
Paying tribute at footbridge where the shooters fired
Albanese vowed to advocate for stricter gun laws following the attack.[92] On the day following the shooting, the National Cabinet unanimously agreed to strengthen gun laws. Proposals brought forward during the meeting included restricting firearm ownership to Australian citizens only, accelerating the launch of a national firearms register, limiting the number of firearms a single person can own, and further restricting the types of legal weapons.[10] The NSW Parliament was recalled to debate the state's proposed reforms before Christmas.[136] As a result, a plan of a 2025 Australia gun buyback program was announced to be created. On 18 December, the Albanese government responded to a report delivered to the government in July 2025 on antisemitism, by the government's special envoy to combat antisemitism Jillian Segal, saying that they would take action on all the report's recommendations.[137][138] The same day, the Albanese government announced the strengthening of hate speech laws.[137][132] The Minister for Home Affairs would receive new powers to cancel or reject visas of hate preachers.[137][132] A taskforce to ensure that the education system counters antisemitism will be set up.[137][132] Special envoy Segal had previously supported lessons on antisemitism and the Holocaust.[132] On 21 December, Albanese announced an Independent Commonwealth Review into Australia's federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to be led by retired public servant Dennis Richardson that would deliver a public report on the attack to government by the end of April 2026.[139] On 29 December, the review's terms of reference were released.[140]
A large floral memorial was established at the Bondi Pavilion
Two days after the attack, the prime minister visited Syrian-born Ahmed al-Ahmed in hospital.[145] On 18 December, al-Ahmed received A$2.5 million in donations from GoFundMe, with the largest donation coming from Jewish-American billionaire Bill Ackman, who donated A$99,999.[146][147]
On 20 December, the NSW government announced that new legislation addressing hate speech and the display of offensive symbols will be introduced statewide on 22 December. Minns stated that the government will take stronger action against what it classifies as hate speech and confirmed plans to have the chant "globalise the intifada" officially designated as hate speech.[148] A New South Wales state-based Royal Commission has been announced that will investigate the actions of New South Wales authorities, including the police response and gun licensing issues. On 30 December, Albanese said in a press conference that there were no plans for a federal Royal Commission, as it would give a platform to antisemitic view, and was not the best format for national security issues.[149]
Tributes
Floral tributes to victims of Bondi Beach shooting
At the third Ashes test in Adelaide on 17 December, a three-minute silence was observed before the start of play, while both the Australian and English teams wore black armbands in memory of the victims of the shooting.[150]
On 21 December, a nationwide minute of silence was held in Australia as part of a national day of reflection[151] over the shooting.[152]
The Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks display will feature a minute's silence at 11pm and the projection of a menorah onto the pylons. The original plan was for a dove with the word "Peace" but after criticism from the Jewish community, the decision was made to feature a Jewish-specific symbol.[153]
Commentary from Australia
Australian opposition leader Sussan Ley and other coalition MPs claimed, without evidence, that Australia's recognition of Palestine was linked to the shooting.[154]
Various Australian Jewish organisations had differing responses.[155] The Executive Council of Australian Jewry issued a statement saying: "The time for talking is over. We need decisive leadership and action now to eradicate the scourge of antisemitism from Australia's public life, for which the Jewish community has long been advocating... The shooting attack targeted the Jewish community but it took place at Bondi Beach, the people's beach, on what should have been a carefree summer's day. It was an attack on all Australians, our freedoms and our way of life."[156] The CEO of the conservative Australian Jewish Association, Robert Gregory, said: "This is an attack on the Jewish community that deeply pains us as a community."[157][158] The president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Jeremy Leibler, said: "An attack on Jews celebrating their faith is an attack on Australia itself. It is an assault on our values, our social cohesion, and the basic right of people to gather without fear."[159] Co-founder and executive of the progressive non-Zionist group Jewish Council of Australia (JCA) Max Kaiser called remarks by special envoy Jillian Segal "highly irresponsible", after she had issued a statement suggesting that the attack was a logical consequence of pro-Palestinian protests since October 2023.[160] Bart Shteinman, a member of the executive of JCA, rejected any link between pro-Palestinian protests and the attack, calling it "opportunistic weaponisation of this attack by pro-Israel voices".[155] The JCA later published an online petition calling upon the prime minister and all Australian leaders to stand against "those who are weaponising the Bondi massacre to push bigotry, hatred and division", stating that "it makes the real fight against antisemitism harder."[161]
The Australian National Imams Council also condemned the shooting, saying: "This is a moment for all Australians, including the Australian Muslim community, to stand together in unity, compassion, and solidarity, rejecting violence in all its forms and affirming our shared commitment to social harmony and the safety of all Australians."[133] Muslim leaders in Sydney refused to perform funeral rites or receive the deceased gunman's body, condemning the shooting as a "barbaric, criminal, and terrorist act".[162][163] The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network condemned the attack and said "perpetrators of this horrendous attack do not represent our movement or the values we uphold".[164]
The attack prompted discussions regarding Australia's immigration framework and gun laws, with some officials questioning the pathways from temporary visas to permanent residency and the criteria for obtaining a firearms license as a non-citizen permanent resident.[165]
Commentary from overseas
Vigil for victims of the Bondi Beach shooting at Dunedin's Cenotaph in New Zealand
In times of hurt, Australians always rally together in unity and resolve. I know that the spirit of community and love that shines so brightly in Australia... will always triumph over the darkness of such evil.
The attack was widely condemned internationally. Press statements were made by the New Zealand prime minister, Christopher Luxon,[167] and armed police in New Zealand were deployed on 15 December to guard Jewish sites across the country, including the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand and Kadimah School.[168]
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack, adding that "India has zero tolerance towards terrorism and supports the fight against all forms and manifestations of terrorism".[169] Further press statements were made by UK prime minister Keir Starmer[170][171] and US president Donald Trump.[172] French president Emmanuel Macron expressed "deep sadness" at the death of a French citizen.[173][174]
In the United Kingdom, authorities cited the Bondi Beach attack as a factor in increasing enforcement against potentially violent protest behavior, alongside the Manchester synagogue attack that took place on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur on 2 October 2025. On 17 December 2025, police forces in London and Greater Manchester announced that individuals chanting "globalise the intifada" at protests would be arrested, describing the action as necessary because "violent acts have taken place, the context has changed, words have meaning and consequence."[175][176]
International leaders spoke in support of Ahmed al-Ahmed, the bystander who intervened to disarm one of the attackers, praising his bravery. These leaders included Netanyahu, who referred to him as a "brave Muslim, and I salute him" and Trump who said that he was "a very, very brave person" who "saved a lot of lives".[178][179] King Charles' 2025 Christmas message alluded to the actions of al-Ahmed and others who intervened, describing "the ways in which individuals and communities display spontaneous bravery, instinctively placing themselves in harm's way to defend others" as a short clip of floral tributes at Bondi was displayed.[180]
The attack was also widely condemned across the Islamic world, with Iran, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates voicing strong disapproval.[181] The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a condemnation of the shooting, with spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei writing on X that "Terror and killing of human beings, wherever committed, is rejected and condemned".[182] According to Iran International, Iranian or Iran-affiliated Tasnim News Agency and Sabereen News[e] appeared to have praised the killings.[184] The Palestinian Authority said it condemned the attack and that it rejected "all forms of extremism and terrorism, including the killing of civilians".[185]
The Guardian's Eva Corlett wrote that many global headlines covering the shooting centred on the intervention from bystander al-Ahmed.[188]Jonathan Sacerdoti wrote in The Jewish Chronicle that British news media emphasised the heroism of al-Ahmed while editorially sidelining the fact that Jews were killed in an act of antisemitic terror.[189] Writing in Haaretz, Dana Segall said that progressive reactions to the attack failed to acknowledge and emphasise its antisemitic nature, "dilut[ing] Jewish victimhood into a vague slurry of 'violence,' 'tragedy,' and 'shared humanity.'"[190]
Misinformation
Following the attack, various pieces of misinformation were shared online. A website impersonating The Daily Aus, registered the same day as the shooting, launched an article purposely mislabelling bystander Ahmed al-Ahmed.[191][192][193]
A Pakistani man living in Australia was harassed and threatened online due to having a similar name to one of the attackers.[201] Pakistani officials accused "hostile countries", in particular India, of spreading false claims that one of the two attackers, whose nationality has not been confirmed yet, was a Pakistani national, and further alleged that he was from India.[202]
Such claims, alongside others, were spread by xAI's chatbot, Grok.[203][204][205]Al Jazeera noted social media posts from around the world claiming that Ahmed al-Ahmed, one of the bystanders who intervened, had a completely different name or that he was a Lebanese Maronite Christian or a Jew. Al-Ahmed was later confirmed to be a Muslim naturalised citizen of Australia who had immigrated from Syria.[47]
Various social media personalities and influencers circulated misinformation surrounding the attack. For example, Drew Pavlou and others circulated a false story that Australian Muslims launched fireworks to celebrate the attack.[207]
↑There are multiple ways to transliterate the Hebrew name of the holiday; "Hanukkah" is currently the most common spelling by English-speakers, with "Chanukah" being a more traditional spelling. See Hanukkah § Alternative spellings for more details
↑"Statement on Chanukah lights". Premier's Department, NSW Government. 16 December 2025. We cannot, and we will not allow Jewish Australians to feel they must hide their faith, their traditions, their religious celebrations or their identity.
↑Chatterjee, Nandika (14 December 2025). "A Timeline of Rising Antisemitism in Australia". TIME. Retrieved 25 December 2025. The attack, which targeted an event marking the first day of Hanukkah at the popular tourist destination, is the latest and most deadly in a string of antisemitic incidents that have blighted Australia since the onset of the war in Gaza in October 2023... Figures from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) show that antisemitic incidents in Australia have reached historically high levels, at "almost five times the average annual number before October 7, 2023." The group documented 1,654 anti‑Jewish incidents across Australia between Oct. 1, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2025, in addition to 2,062 incidents nationwide the year before.
↑Kidd, Jessica (3 December 2025). "Report details attacks and abuse faced by Australian Jews". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 December 2025. In short: The Executive Council of Australia Jewry has released its annual report on anti-Jewish incidents, with 1,654 reports this year nationally. The figure has decreased from the 2,062 incidents recorded the previous year. Chief executive Alex Ryvchin expressed concern that the data showed antisemitism remained at "deeply troubling levels" in Australia.
12Buckley, Penry; Davies, Anne; Visser, Nick (14 December 2025). "Bondi beach mass shooting: 12 people killed after gunshots fired at Sydney park hosting Jewish festival". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2025. At least 12 people have died, including one alleged gunman, following a mass shooting at Bondi beach, during which dozens of gunshots were fired at a park hosting a Jewish festival... Video seen by Guardian Australia showed two men in black clothes crossing a bridge at Bondi beach and firing. Twelve shots could be heard.
↑Taylor, Chris (15 December 2025). "Bondi terror: we'll need a wide-ranging royal commission". The Strategist. Australia. ...it was the worst terrorist attack ever carried out on Australian soil... Australians have been victims of mass casualty terrorist attacks before, the worst at Bali in 2002.
↑"ISIS Praises Bondi Beach Shooting as 'Source of Pride' Without Claiming Responsibility". Haaretz. 18 December 2025. The Islamic State praised Sunday's Bondi Beach Hanukkah festival shooting in Australia as a "source of pride" in a newsletter posted to its Telegram channel on Thursday, but stopped short of claiming responsibility... "...the zealots answered the call and carried out the recommendations to target religious festivals and gatherings" ...The militant group has also incited refugees in Belgium to carry out attacks on Jews and Christians there during the holiday season.
↑Tweet sharing the image: "Tweet by Mr Pål Christiansen @TheNorskaPaul". X. 24 December 2025. Archived from the original on 30 December 2025. In response to the #BondiBeachTerrorAttack NSW Police on Monday confirmed the force was aware of a planned 'bashing day' on Cronulla Beach... A flyer advertising the event has been widely shared across Snap, FB & TikTok with Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon urging Aussies to resist violence in their response to the shootings... However, that call could be easily ignored when even former legendary PM Tony Abbott directly narrowed the blame to one minority in media interviews.👌🇦🇺
↑Kim, Victoria (14 December 2025). "Live Updates: At Least 10 Injured in Shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 December 2025. Robert Gregory, the CEO of the Australian Jewish Association, said members of the community told him the shooting targeted a Chabad event being held at the beach. "This is an attack on the Jewish community deeply that pains us as a community", he said.
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The gunmen mostly fired from this footbridge (2019 photo). The view is from the northwest; Archer Park is in the background.
A 2018 aerial view of Bondi Beach proper; Archer Park is in the centre, with the footbridge over the car park to its north. The curving road is Campbell Parade.
