Sydney: New court documents and CCTV footage released on Monday have exposed the terrifying level of preparation behind the December 14 Bondi Beach mass shooting. The attack, which claimed 15 lives during a Hanukkah celebration, was carried out by 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, who police allege were motivated by Islamic State-linked extremism.
A Timeline of Terror
The New South Wales (NSW) Police “statement of facts” reveals that the father and son spent months planning the atrocity:
- Reconnaissance: Two days before the shooting, CCTV captured the pair at Bondi Beach conducting “reconnaissance,” scouting the footbridge from which they would eventually open fire on a crowd of 1,000 people.
- The Staging Post: The duo rented an Airbnb in Campsie for three weeks leading up to the attack. On the morning of the massacre at 2:16 AM, they were filmed loading weapons and homemade explosives—wrapped in blankets—into their car.
- The Manifesto: Investigators recovered a video recorded in October showing the pair sitting before an Islamic State flag. In the footage, they recite passages from the Quran and deliver a justification for the “Bondi attack,” specifically condemning “Zionists.”
- Tactical Training: Another video shows the two in a rural area of NSW, “firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner” while training for the assault.
The Arsenal and the Attack
Police allege the pair arrived at the beach in a car draped with homemade IS flags. Before the shooting began, they threw four improvised explosive devices (IEDs)—including three pipe bombs and a “tennis ball bomb” filled with steel ball bearings—into the crowd. While the devices were “viable,” they fortunately failed to detonate.
Sajid Akram, an Indian national who legally owned six firearms, was killed in a shootout with police. Naveed, an Australian citizen, was wounded and has now been transferred from a hospital to a high-security prison to face 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder and terrorism.
National Response and Legislative Shifts
On Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued a heartfelt apology to the Jewish community, stating he feels the “weight of responsibility” for the tragedy. He pledged that the government would not let terrorists “divide Australian society.”
In the wake of the massacre, the NSW government has introduced the toughest gun and hate-speech laws in the country’s history:
- Citizenship Requirements: Australian citizenship will now be mandatory for a firearms license.
- Ownership Caps: Recreational shooters will be limited to a maximum of four firearms.
- Hate Speech Penalties: New laws will significantly increase criminal penalties for hate-motivated crimes and grant the government powers to cancel visas for those engaging in hate speech or displaying prohibited symbols.