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By Peter Aitken
Politics Weekend Editor
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The men allegedly involved in Sunday's attack at the famous Bondi Beach in Australia has been identified by Australian state broadcaster ABC and other media as Naveed Akram and his father, Sajid Akram. Police have yet to formally identify them.
Naveed Akram is in the hospital in critical condition. The other suspect, identified by offiicials as his father, 50, was killed at the scene. New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said that police are not looking for any other offenders.
Why It Matters
Sunday's attack targeted attendees of a Jewish community event in Sydney and killed at least 15 people while wounding 40 people, including a child and two officers, who are receiving treatment at a hospital. Police labeled the attack as terrorism.
Read More on World
The mass shooting is a rare attack in Australia where strict gun laws have been in place since sweeping national reforms after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. The attack has also revived fears of antisemitic attacks as the Jewish community starts to observe and celebrate Hannukah, with the first night falling on Sunday.
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Essential reading: How Iran Stoked Australia’s Antisemitism Crisis
What To Know
Naveed Akram, 24, is a Pakistani national based in Sydney, according to a U.S. intelligence briefing and a driver's license provided by Australian police, CBS News reported.
The younger Akram and "a relative" had told the family they were going for a weekend away at Jervis Bay, a vacation spot halfway between Sydney and the capital of Canberra, and he last spoke with his mother on Sunday to tell her about his trip, she told The Sydney Morning Herald.
Officials later identified the gunmen as father and son, and a law enforcement official told Australia's ABC News that the suspect's home in Bonnyrigg was raided by police on Sunday evening local time.
"He rings me up [on Sunday] and said, Mum, I just went for a swim. I went scuba diving. We’re going…to eat now, and then this morning, and we’re going to stay home now because it’s very hot,” Akram's mother, Verena, told the Herald.
The younger Akram worked as a bricklayer, but he had been laid off about two months ago when the company became insolvent, forcing him to go back on the job hunt. He had attended Cabramatta High School, but his mother said he wasn't particularly social. He enjoyed outdoor activities such as fishing, scuba diving, swimming, and exercising.
His mother cares for her own elderly mother, while his father owns a fruit and vegetable shop. Naveed Akram lived with his parents and younger siblings, a 22-year-old sister and 20-year-old brother.
The father was a licensed firearms holder, with six firearms licensed to him.
Australia’s public broadcaster ABC said Naveed was investigated by Australia's domestic intelligence agency ASIO in 2019 over alleged close ties to a Sydney-based ISIS terror cell, citing an anonymous official from the Joint Counter Terrorism Team.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday, the 24-year-old suspect in the Bondi shooting came to the attention of the Australian authorities in October 2019.
“He was examined on the basis of being associated with others, and the assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence,” Albanese told a news conference.
The head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) had earlier confirmed that one of the suspects was previously on the agency’s radar.
“One of the individuals was known to us but not in an immediate threat perspective, so obviously we need to look into what happened here,” ASIO head Mike Burgess said, according to ABC.
The national broadcaster said counterterrorism detectives believed the suspects had pledged allegiance to ISIS.
What People Are Saying
New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park to reporters: "This is absolutely horrendous for the community broadly, but particularly the Jewish community...What we saw last night was the worst of humanity, but at the same time, the very best of humanity."
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns to reporters: "This attack was designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community."
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X: "My deepest condolences to the victims of the tragic terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, Sydney. Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We stand in solidarity with the people and Government of Australia in this difficult time."
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
Update 12/14/25, 4:02 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update 12/14/25, 7:10 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update 12/15/25, 2:50 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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