Updated Dec. 15, 2025 — Australian authorities have identified the two men accused of carrying out the mass shooting at a Hanukkah event near Bondi Beach as a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son. The attack left 15 people dead and at least 40 injured, officials said.
Police said the older man was shot and killed by officers at the scene. The younger man, identified by U.S. intelligence officials and reviewed documents as Pakistani national Naveed Akram, remains hospitalized in a coma; New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said his medical condition makes it likely he will face criminal charges. The father’s name has not been released. Authorities confirmed they are not searching for any additional suspects after briefly investigating the possibility of a third attacker.
Investigators recovered six legally owned firearms at the scene, all licensed to the suspects. Lanyon said the father had held a gun license for about a decade, qualified for a recreational hunting license, and was a member of a gun club. Police also found improvised explosive devices in one of the suspects’ vehicles.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting targeted the Jewish community on the first night of Hanukkah. He added that the younger suspect had been the subject of a roughly six-month review by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) in 2019 over possible links to a Sydney-based ISIS cell. According to Albanese, ASIO’s inquiries focused on the suspect’s associations with individuals in that cell and concluded there was no indication of an ongoing threat or an intention to engage in violence.
More than 1,000 people were gathered near Bondi Beach when the attack occurred. Among the injured were two police officers and three children. One widely shared video shows 43-year-old fruit seller Ahmed al Ahmed confronting a gunman on Campbell Parade, tackling the suspect and seizing his weapon; officials said al Ahmed was shot during the struggle. President Trump, speaking from the White House, praised al Ahmed’s actions as lifesaving.
Authorities said they will continue investigating motive, any links to extremist networks, and how the suspects obtained their weapons. The investigation is ongoing, and officials have urged anyone with information or footage related to the attack to come forward.