Bondi Beach shooting: Who are Naveed Akram and Sajid? Father-son duo who killed 15 people had licence for six weapons
A father and son were identified as the gunmen in Australia’s deadliest terror attack, killing 15 during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach. The attack was labeled a targeted assault on the Jewish community, with the father also among the deceased.
Belongings of members of the Jewish community are seen at the scene of a shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 15, 2025. Two gunmen who shot and killed 15 people at a Jewish celebration on Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach were a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son, Australian police said. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)(AFP)
A father and son have been accused of carrying out Australia’s deadliest terrorist attack, killing 15 people after opening fire on members of the Jewish community gathered to mark the beginning of Hanukkah at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach on Sunday night.
Police identified the alleged attackers as a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son from Sydney’s western suburbs, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said on Monday, as reported by Bloomberg.
The gunmen were named as Naveed Akram and his father, Sajid, by the Australian Broadcasting Corp., citing law enforcement sources.
“The father, who also died in the shooting, had been a firearm holder for a decade and was licensed to own six weapons,” Lanyon said.
“Police were satisfied they recovered six firearms from the scene. Two active improvised explosive devices were also found and rendered safe by police, who are no longer looking for a third offender,” Lanyon said.
Sajid Akram owned a fruit shop, ABC News reported.
“Police raided a home in Bonnyrigg, about 22 miles west of Sydney’s center, on Sunday night,” Lanyon said, as well as a property at Campsie where the pair had been staying.
Victims of the shooting ranged from 10 years old to 87, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said Monday. Local press has identified one of the victims as a Rabbi.
The shooting was a “deliberate, targeted assault” on the Jewish community, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a press conference on Monday. He had earlier condemned the violence as an “evil act of antisemitic terrorism that has struck at the core of our nation,” and warned that authorities would pursue a tough, zero-tolerance response to antisemitism.
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Women place flowers at a memorial outside Bondi Pavilion at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, a day after a shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)(AP)
“It’s our responsibility to wrap our arms around that wounded community, and let them know that ordinary Australians, regular Australians, are in their corner,” he said Monday.
Australia’s Jewish population was estimated to be 116,967 in 2021, one of the world’s 10 largest. Bondi, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, is among key Jewish communities in the nation.
The gunmen opened fire just after 6:45 p.m. local time as more than 1,000 people attended the Chanukah by the Sea event on a warm summer evening.
A bystander who rushed and disarmed one of the attackers has won praise from leaders around the world, including US President Donald Trump and hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, who announced a reward program for community heroes.
