At least 16 people, including a 10-year-old child and one of the attackers, were killed in a terror attack at Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah celebration, marking Australia’s deadliest mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre of 1996.
At least 16 people were killed in the Bondi shooting
The shooting, which lasted for just a little over nine minutes, unfolded on Sunday afternoon but plunged Sydney into hours of chaos, triggered a major counter-terror operation and drew global condemnation. Police have confirmed the attack was carried out by a father-son duo of Pakistan nationality and was a targeted act of antisemitic terrorism against Australia’s Jewish community. (Track live updates on Bondi shooting and the aftermath)
How the attack unfolded
(all times in IST)
11:30 am: The ‘Chanukah by the Sea’ event begins at Archer Park, Bondi Beach. Organised by Chabad of Bondi, the family festival celebrates the first night of Hanukkah, an eight-day Jewish holiday. More than 1,000 people, including families, children and elderly attendees, gather near the grassy playground area at the northern end of the beach.
1:13 pm: Emergency services receive the first calls reporting gunshots at the event. New South Wales Police respond to reports of an active shooter at Bondi Beach.
Shortly after 1:13 pm: Two men armed with long firearms are seen opening fire from a small pedestrian footbridge overlooking Archer Park. Videos later show the attackers shooting repeatedly towards the crowd as cars continue to pass beneath the bridge.
Eyewitnesses later estimate hearing as many as 50 shots. Many initially mistake the sound for fireworks before fleeing for cover, with some running into the surf and others seeking shelter in nearby cafes, pubs and restaurants.
Within 10 minutes: First responders arrive at the scene as panic spreads across the beach and surrounding streets.
Around 1.30 pm: NSW Police issue a critical public warning on social media, alerting people to a “developing incident” at Bondi Beach and urging them to avoid the area.
Social media is flooded with videos showing people running for their lives, injured victims on the sand, and scenes of chaos and heroism.
Minutes later: One of the gunmen, later identified as Sajid Akram, moves off the bridge onto the park grass. Sajid Akram is 50-years-old, officials have revealed.
A bystander, Ahmed al Ahmed, a Sydney fruit shop owner and father of two, calmly approaches Sajid Akram and tackles him when he appears to run out of ammunition, wrestling a gun away. Footage of the intervention spreads rapidly online.
Soon after: Sajid Akram runs back towards the bridge, where video footage shows his son, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, continuing to fire at people below. Sajid appears to re-arm. Both attackers then come under fire from police positioned nearby.
Moments later: Sajid Akram is shot and falls to the ground. Drone footage later shows one gunman down while the second continues firing.
Shortly thereafter: Naveed Akram is shot. Footage shows a man in pale clothing approaching the bridge and gesturing for police to move in. Another individual steps onto the bridge with his hands raised as a gunshot is heard.
Chaos ensues as police officers and members of the public rush onto the bridge. In the confusion, footage shows one man kicking one of the alleged gunmen while others grapple nearby.
By around 2 pm: Police surround both attackers on the ground. Officers secure the scene and begin stabilising the injured gunman.
2.11 pm: Authorities confirm that two people are in police custody and rule out reports of a second incident in nearby Dover Heights.
3 pm: NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirms that at least 12 people have been killed and at least 29 others injured. He formally declares the shooting a terror incident.
Victims and casualties
By Monday morning, the death toll rose to 16, including a 10-year-old girl and Sajid Akram. Victims ranged in age from 10 to 87 years.
Those killed included Rabbi Eli Schlanger, an assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and a key organiser of the event; a Holocaust survivor; a retired police officer; a freelance photographer; and members of the Jewish community from Australia and overseas.
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that Dan Elkayam, a French national, was among the dead. Israel’s foreign ministry said at least one Israeli citizen was also killed.
At least 40 people were injured. As of Monday morning, 42 patients had been hospitalised, with several in critical condition across hospitals in Sydney.
Investigation and explosives found
Police later confirmed that two improvised explosive devices were found at the scene and rendered safe by specialist officers. Commissioner Lanyon described the devices as rudimentary and likely designed to be triggered by a wick.
Authorities confirmed there were only two attackers and called off the search for a third suspect. Sajid Akram was a licensed firearms holder for about a decade, police said.
Hero of Bondi Beach
Ahmed al Ahmed, who tackled one of the gunmen, was shot during the attack and remains in hospital recovering. He has been widely hailed as the “hero of Bondi Beach” for his actions, which police say likely prevented further loss of life.
Government response
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed the nation, calling the attack “shocking and distressing”.
“An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian,” he said. “There is no place for this hate, violence and terrorism in our nation.”
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the shooting was a “cowardly act of terrifying violence” aimed at Sydney’s Jewish community.
World leaders including King Charles, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Australia. Netanyahu praised the bystander who disarmed one of the attackers.
Bondi shooting: The morning after
As Australia woke up on Monday, flags on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Parliament House in Canberra were lowered to half-mast in mourning. Bondi Beach remained cordoned off, with flowers and candles turning the area into a growing memorial.
Authorities said investigations were continuing, while hospitals across Sydney treated survivors of an attack that has left a deep scar on one of Australia’s most iconic public spaces – and on the nation itself.