Updated on: December 15, 2025 / 5:22 AM EST / CBS News
Two suspected gunmen accused of killing 15 people and injuring dozens during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach have been identified as a father and son, authorities said. The younger man had been investigated years earlier over suspected links to an ISIS cell in Sydney.
The 50-year-old father was shot and killed by police. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the 24-year-old son remained hospitalized in a coma. “Based on his medical condition, it is likely that the person may face criminal charges,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said Sunday.
Police initially said they were looking for a possible third suspect, but Lanyon later confirmed they were not searching for any further offenders.
U.S. intelligence officials briefed on the investigation identified the 24-year-old as Naveed Akram, a Pakistani national; CBS News has also reviewed Akram’s New South Wales driver’s license. The father’s name has not been released. Authorities said he was a licensed gun owner.
Lanyon said investigators recovered six licensed firearms belonging to the suspects at the scene. The older man had held a gun license for about 10 years, met the eligibility criteria for a recreational hunting license, and “was a member of a gun club,” Lanyon said. Police also found improvised explosive devices in one of the suspects’ vehicles.
“We will look at the motives behind this attack and I think it is important as part of the investigation,” Lanyon added.
Albanese confirmed the younger suspect had been under investigation by the Australian Security Intelligence Agency (ASIO) for about six months in 2019. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corp., ASIO examined possible ties between the son and a Sydney ISIS cell. Albanese said ASIO’s focus was on individuals believed to be in that cell who were associated with the son, rather than on the son himself.
“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,” the prime minister said.
More than 1,000 people were gathered at Bondi Beach on Sunday. Albanese said the gunmen were “deliberately targeting the Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah.”
The attack left at least 40 people injured, including two officers and three children, officials said. One of the injured is 43-year-old fruit seller Ahmed al Ahmed, who was shot after confronting a gunman and wrestled the weapon away, Agence France-Presse reported. Video posted to social media shows al Ahmed tackle a suspect on Campbell Parade, the main street running parallel to Bondi Beach, and seize the firearm.
President Trump, speaking at the White House, said al Ahmed’s actions “saved a lot of lives.”
Anna Schecter, Emily Mae Czachor, Archie Clarke and Sam Vinograd contributed to this report.
