How the Terror Attack That Killed 15 People In Sydney Unfolded
The Bondi Beach shooting is the deadliest terrorist assault in Australia’s history.
It was a warm Sunday evening at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Swimmers and surfers were making the most of the weather, and the world-famous tourist destination was bustling. At a beachside park, more than 1,000 members of the Jewish community were marking the first day of Hanukkah. Then, at about 6:45 p.m., the gunfire started.
A father and son carried out an attack that left 15 people — and the older gunman — dead. It is the deadliest terror assault in Australia’s history. Here’s how it unfolded.
People start to gather at Archer Park for “Chanukah by the Sea,” an event scheduled to mark the first day of the eight-day Jewish festival. The all-ages event has promised music, games, food, activities and even a petting farm.
The first gunshots are heard.
Mobile phone footage shows two men wearing dark clothes and armed with rifles walking onto a stone footbridge. They shoot into the distance, in the direction of the Hanukkah celebration. People are seen fleeing the area.
Within minutes, emergency services received calls from the scene, according to the NSW Police.
Witnesses say they heard dozens of shots. Videos of the aftermath show first responders seeking to resuscitate the wounded, as victims lay deceased on the ground nearby.
Police say they are responding to an incident at Bondi Beach, and urge the public to avoid the area or take shelter, according to a post on X.
In one extraordinary video, a bystander is seen sneaking up on one of the gunmen, wrestling his weapon off him and forcing him to retreat.
He’s named by local media as Ahmed Al Ahmed, a 43-year-old father-of-two from southwest Sydney. Ahmed is quickly dubbed a hero and wins global praise for his bravery, including from US President Donald Trump. He was shot twice and was being treated in the hospital, according to reports.
Another video then shows the disarmed gunman, having made his way back onto the footbridge, shooting with another gun next to his accomplice. They take cover behind a brick wall as they continue to shoot. A shot then rings out and the older man, in white pants, slumps to the ground.
Police, in a post on X, announce that two people have been taken into custody. It's later confirmed one of the shooters was killed, and the other arrested and taken to hospital under heavy police guard, although the timing is unclear.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon declares the attack a terrorist incident. Lanyon says police are investigating the possibility of a third shooter, which is later ruled out. He announces there will be a significant investigation led by the counterterrorism command. “No stone will be left unturned,” he says.
Media reports show a property in Bonnyrigg, a suburb in Sydney's south-west, cordoned off with police tape. It was raided, along with an Airbnb property in Campsie — more than 20km away — where the gunmen are believed to have been staying.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese holds a press conference to address the nation:
“This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Chanukah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith. An act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation.”
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, in Sydney, praises the actions of the bystander who earlier disarmed one of the shooters.
“That man is a genuine hero and I’ve got no doubt there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery,” he said at a press conference.
Improvised explosive devices, which were found in a car parked on Campbell Parade, close to the Bondi Beach footbridge, are secured and removed, according to media reports.
NSW Police say a father, 50, and son, 24, were the two gunmen behind the attack. They were named as Naveed Akram and his father Sajid by the Australian Broadcasting Corp., citing law enforcement sources.
The father was licensed to own six “long arms” weapons, was a gun-club member and had held a firearm permit for a decade, the NSW police commissioner said. The son, a bricklayer, had been examined by Australia's domestic intelligence agency ASIO in 2019, ABC reported.
Australia’s leaders have quickly promised to strengthen the country’s gun laws.
In an emergency meeting of state and federal leaders on Monday, ministers agreed to accelerate work on a National Firearms Register and to limit the number of firearms that can be held by any one individual.
Politicians and the government are likely to face a reckoning over the attack. The prime minister has been criticized by the conservative opposition for months for failing to do enough to stem the tide of antisemitism in the country, linked in part to global tensions over the Israel–Gaza war.