2025 Bondi Beach shooting

Religious and racial intolerance The December 2025 attack in Bondi was the first deadly attack targeting Jews in Australia. Prior to this incident, the Australian Jewish community experienced an increase in antisemitic attacks on Jewish individuals and institutions since the beginning of the Gaza war in October 2023. The shooting targeted an annual community Hanukkah celebration organised by Chabad named "Chanukah by the Sea". The event was held at Archer Park just east of the Bondi Pavilion, with around 1,000 people in attendance. Antisemitism and Islamophobia in Australia both rose during the Gaza war. But the pattern preceded the war; extremist groups have risen in Australia over the past decade, including neo-Nazi groups such as the National Socialist Network. Islamic State's strategy From 2012 until 2019 over 200 Australians who supported the self-declared Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) migrated to its territory and joined ISIS. Many of them were killed, but dozens of survivors remain in camps guarded by Kurdish forces in Rojava in Syria. After they lost control of the territory in Iraq and Syria, IS changed strategy, to focus on inciting "lone wolf" attacks. Since then there have been other Islamic State inspired lone wolf attacks, often on Jewish or Christian festivals. In August 2024, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation raised Australia's national terrorism threat level from "possible" to "probable", citing the risk of community tensions and political violence related to the Gaza war as one of the reasons for doingso. Weapons restrictions The terror attack in Bondi was also the most deadly mass shooting in Australia since 1996. Despite this, the number of firearms in Australia, and the number of people licensed to own them, has increased, and hit "a record high" before the shootings. Mass shootings are rare, however, there were two notable public stabbings in Sydney in April 2024. One was a mass stabbing incident at Bondi Junction, which was not related to terrorism. The other stabbing targeted an Assyrian Australian bishop, Mari Emmanuel, during a sermon at his church in Wakeley. == Attack ==

Timeline Details Police allege that Sajid and Naveed Akram, a father and son, threw three pipe bombs and a tennis ball bomb into the crowd from a footbridge arching over the carpark to the north of the Bondi Pavilion, all of which failed to detonate. After throwing the bombs, they began shooting into the crowd. reportedly with a straight pull bolt action rifle and a shotgun. A nearly continuous 11-minute video, recorded by a bystander and beginning shortly after the gunmen opened fire, filmed the attackers from the street side of the footbridge approximately away. The video includes the final moments of the shooting including the first police officer stepping onto the footbridge to apprehend the gunmen, as well as treatment of the wounded. The altercation was captured on dashcam footage at 18:42. During the attack, bystander footage filmed Reuven Morrison confronting one of the attackers, apparently to draw the gunfire away from others. born in Al-Nayrab, near Idlib, in Syria. Al-Ahmed approached him by crouching between two parked cars. He then tackled the gunman from behind, seized the weapon, and turned it toward him before propping the weapon against a tree. Al-Ahmed was accompanied by Gefen Bitton, an Israeli citizen living in Australia who ran back towards the gunfire after seeing al-Ahmed confronting the attacker. After the first gunman was disarmed, the second gunman reacted by briefly leaving the footbridge and firing three shots towards al-Ahmed and Bitton, injuring the latter. Upon returning to the bridge, the disarmed gunman retrieved another weapon. At that point, al-Ahmed was shot twice and wounded, and Morrison was killed. Several police officers responded to the scene and used their pistols to shoot at the gunmen from both sides of the footbridge. A detective, using a tree as cover approximately away, fired on the gunmen from behind, killing one of them with a fatal shot to the head. The second gunman was shot twice in the stomach and wounded, apparently by the detective and a female officer. A bystander went onto the bridge and kicked away a weapon from one of the gunmen; continued fire forced him to duck, and the bystander was briefly mistaken for an attacker by other bystanders. The attack had lasted for six minutes from 18:42 to 18:48. According to The Guardian, the first thing police did when they reached the footbridge was give CPR to Naveed. The wounded Naveed was apprehended by police and rushed to hospital in critical condition. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the gunmen fired a total of 82 rounds (61 from Naveed and 21 from Sajid) during the attack, with police firing an additional 26 rounds. Emergency services were first called to the scene at about 18:45(AEDT, UTC+11). First aid In addition to those who directly confronted the gunmen, off-duty volunteer lifesavers from Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club and North Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club, adjacent to Archer Park, rushed to the aid of victims under fire at the risk to their own lives. They were on the unsecured scene before police and ambulance crews arrived. They used surfboards as stretchers and depleted the club's stock of bandages, as well as giving approximately 250 people shelter inside the club, including a heavily pregnant woman who went into labour during the attack. There was also one water rescue. New South Wales Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane was among those present who helped surf lifesavers giving first aid to victims. Support for Ahmed al-Ahmed and other bystanders Many of the responses included praise for Ahmed al-Ahmed, one of the bystanders who intervened to disarm one of the attackers, praising his bravery. United States president Donald Trump praised a man who intervened, saying "it's been a very, very brave person who went and attacked frontally one of the shooters and saved a lot of lives." King Charles' 2025 Christmas message paid tribute to "the ways in which individuals and communities display spontaneous bravery, instinctively placing themselves in harm's way to defend others", such as those at Bondi. Eva Corlett, The Guardians correspondent from Wellington New Zealand, wrote that many global headlines covering the shooting centred on the intervention from bystander al-Ahmed. Jonathan Sacerdoti wrote in The Jewish Chronicle that British news media emphasised the heroism of al-Ahmed while editorially sidelining the fact that Jews were killed in an act of antisemitic terror. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised al-Ahmed without naming him: "We saw an action of a brave man – turns out a Muslim brave man, and I salute him – that stopped one of these terrorists from killing innocent Jews". In earlier remarks, Netanyahu praised an unnamed Jew, describing a video he saw. The Times of Israel placed a translated quote in a liveblog update about al-Ahmed. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Netanyahu "initially got it wrong" by telling journalists that it was a Jewish bystander who wrestled the gun away. Boris Gurman, a Jewish man, was videoed tackling and temporarily disarming Sajid during the beginning of the attack, before al-Ahmed was videoed tackling and temporarily disarming Sajid. AB was at Bondi on the day of the attack, he approached the bridge to disarm Naveed, unaware of the second gunman, and kicked away Naveed's gun. In March 2026 the ABC reported that the Australian Government was trying to deport AB to Nauru, due to his drug and assault convictions. == Casualties ==

Sixteen people were killed in the attack (including gunman Sajid Akram, who was killed at the scene by police), with fourteen having died at the scene and two in a hospital. Forty people were injured and taken to a hospital, including the other alleged gunman, Naveed Akram, with five people in critical condition. Liverpool Hospital changed the name of wounded victim Rosalia Shikhverg to "Karen Jones" in their records while she was a patient there. The reason given was to protect Shikhverg's privacy, however, Shikhverg believed it was to deceive hospital staff treating her. List of victims killed The fifteen victims killed in the shooting were: • Edith Brutman, 68, vice president of B'nai B'rith NSW anti-prejudice and anti-discrimination committee • Dan Elkayam, 27, a French national who played for Rockdale Ilinden FC and worked as an IT analyst for NBCUniversal • Boris, 69, and Sofia Gurman, 61, who disarmed the older gunman on his arrival but were killed with another rifle • Alex Kleytman, 87, a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Australia from Ukraine and worked as a civil engineer • Yaakov Levitan, 39, a South African–born rabbi who was secretary of Sydney Beth Din • Peter Meagher, 61, retired police detective and Randwick DRUFC manager who was hired as a freelance photographer at Chanukah by the Sea • Reuven Morrison, 62, a Soviet–born businessman who threw an object at the older gunman before being killed • Marika Pogany, 82, a Czechoslovak–born Australian who delivered meals and services to Jewish seniors • Matilda, 10, the youngest fatality; a student at La Perouse Public School, born to Ukrainian immigrants • Eli Schlanger, 41, Israeli-Australian dual citizen, assistant rabbi of Chabad and chaplain for Corrective Services NSW • Adam Smyth, 50, a Bondi local taking a walk with his wife • Boris Tetleroyd, 68, a Soviet–born singer who was attending the event with his son, who was injured • Tania Tretiak, 68, a Soviet–born Randwick resident who attended the event with her Jewish husband and granddaughter • Tibor Weitzen, 78, a Soviet–born automotive engineer who died shielding his wife and Edith Brutman == Investigations ==

Initial investigation On the night of the attack, the New South Wales police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, declared the attack a terrorist incident, Australian intelligence officials said one of the offenders was known to them. The investigation was named Operation Arques. Following the incident, Operation Shelter, a NSW Police operation aimed at preventing antisemitic and other hate-related attacks, was expanded with additional personnel, resources and operational support deployed to boost surveillance and increase police presence across Sydney. On the night of the attack, police raided a property in Bonnyrigg where the suspects had lived. Three people were taken into custody but released without charge shortly after. Police also raided an Airbnb house in Campsie where the suspects were believed to have been staying prior to the attack. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the pair had told family members they were going on a fishing trip to Jervis Bay. The motivations were described by Albanese and NSW Police as encompassing and being rooted in antisemitism and the ideology of the Islamic State. On 22 December, further details of the attack were released following the lifting of a court suppression order. It was revealed that four homemade bombs had been thrown into the crowd but had failed to detonate. Screenshots from a video located on Naveed's phone were also released, showing him and Sajid allegedly conducting firearms training in October 2025 in a rural location. Another video, also located on Naveed's phone filmed in October, allegedly showed him and Sajid sitting in front of an image of an IS flag in which the two made statements "condemning the acts of 'Zionists. On 30 December, Barrett said, "There is no evidence to suggest these alleged offenders were part of a broader terrorist cell or were directed by others to carry out an attack". Sajid's family in Hyderabad were questioned by Indian authorities. == Accused ==

The alleged shooters were a father and son duo: 50-year-old Sajid and 24-year-old Naveed Akram (born 12 August 2001). Sajid was a fruit shop owner and Naveed an unemployed bricklayer. Australian National University (ANU) radicalisation expert Clarke Jones said that it is unusual for a father and son to attack together. However, Levi West, an ANU expert in countering violent extremism, said "If the two are on board, they are driving each other." Associates and experts who spoke to the ABC's Background Briefing said that Sajid might have radicalised his son. Sajid Akram Sajid was shot and killed by police at the scene of the attack. family in Hyderabad. He had migrated to Australia in 1998 on a student visa after completing a business degree in Hyderabad. Sajid had no "adverse record" prior to his emigration, and his family in India appeared to be unaware of his "radical mindset or activities". According to the Australian home affairs minister, Tony Burke, he transferred to a partner visa in 2001 and later obtained a resident return visa because he was an Australian permanent resident. Sajid was from an affluent, moderate, Muslim family in Hyderabad, India. Naveed's mother's family were devoutly religious Catholics who had migrated to Australia from Italy. Sajid was estranged from Naveed's mother at the time of the attack. She has owned the family home in Bonnyrigg since Sajid assigned his share to her in 2024. and is a citizen due to his mother's citizenship and his father's permanent residence. Naveed followed radical Islamic preacher William Haddad (known as "Wissam Haddad" and "Abu Ousayd"), who was found to have violated Australia's racial hatred laws in July 2025. Several men linked to Haddad have been convicted of terrorism-related offences, but none had carried out attacks. In response to a Four Corners investigation in 2026, ASIO defended their 2019 investigation and criticised a former undercover agent the ABC used as a source. After being shot at the scene, Naveed was hospitalised in critical condition and woke from a coma two days later on 17 December. He is being held on remand in Goulburn Supermax, having been charged with 59 offences, including 15 murders. == Weapons ==

Sajid had a firearms licence, was the registered owner of six guns, and was a member of a shooting club, Zastava Hunting Association. Naveed had trained at the same shooting club. Three firearms were used during the attack, and a fourth was located at the scene. These weapons were imported to Australia to bypass restrictions on pump actions, as they are capable of a rate of fire which is not greatly inferior to the banned weapons. During 2025, the pair had travelled to a rural property west of Sydney owned by a Greek army veteran, ostensibly to shoot foxes that were attacking baby goats and sheep. However, they spent their time shooting at cardboard targets. == Islamic State influence ==

Naveed had been known to intelligence officials since 2019 but was deemed "not an immediate threat". and had been sanctioned by them since 2014. Police said both gunmen had pledged allegiance to IS, and two IS flags were found in their car. According to police reports, documents prove the gunmen planned the attack monthsahead. == Travel to the Philippines ==

Australian counterterrorism officials investigated a trip the two suspects made to the Philippines a month before the attack, to see whether they received military training there. According to Filipino officials, the men travelled to Manila on 1 November, Sajid Akram on an Indian passport and Naveed Akram on an Australian one, and then headed to Davao City, on the island of Mindanao, where an IS insurgency is ongoing. According to local police and staff, they spent their entire 28-day stay in Davao City, rarely leaving their hotel room and then for only an hour or so at a time, and receiving no visitors, before departing on 28 November. According to hotel staff, they had initially booked a 7-day stay, but repeatedly extended it. In the Philippines, the country's National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Immigration and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are investigating the claim that the shooting suspects went to Mindanao prior to the attack. The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) refuted the characterisation of Mindanao as a "terror hotspot", citing a 2025 opinion poll in which respondents yielded 88.51% in safety perception. Australian authorities stated on 30 December that there is no evidence the suspects were part of a terrorist cell or trained in the Philippines. == Criminal proceedings ==

On 17 December, police charged Naveed Akram with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, one count of committing a terrorist act, and 40 counts of attempted murder. He did not request bail, and his court date was set for 8 April 2026. On 22 December 2025, Naveed was moved from Royal North Shore Hospital to Long Bay Correctional Centre. On 5 January 2026, he was transferred to Goulburn Correctional Centre, a supermaxprison. On 16 February, Naveed appeared by video link for a court status mention hearing. He said little, only acknowledging that he had heard what was said in court. A committal mention is listed for 8 April at the Downing Centre Local Court. In March 2026, Naveed sought a court order to prevent publication of details about his mother, brother and sister, including their names, addresses and workplaces. The application was declined on 2 April 2026. == Aftermath ==

Judicial and community responses The inquest findings for the April 2024 Bondi Junction stabbings were due days after the shooting, but the delivery of the findings was delayed out of respect for the Bondi victims. After a Lifeblood request for O-negative blood donations, over 50,000 people volunteered to donate blood. Security responses Following the shooting, the Queensland Police Service increased their security presence at Jewish places of worship. Across Australia and New Zealand, Jewish events were cancelled due to the security risks from terror threats, after already having had to cancel many public events in recent years due to the high risk of attacks. Victorian premier Jacinta Allan increased funding for security services for Jewish spaces. Prevention of retaliatory race riots The Bondi shooting exacerbated older ethnic and religious tensions in the community. In the immediate aftermath of the attack there was a threat of escalating violence with incitement circulated online focused on Cronulla, another beach in Sydney, that was the epicentre of an anti-Arab and anti-Muslim race riot in 2005. In response to this, public assemblies were prohibited across the entire Sydney metro area for 14 days. The targets of the calls for violent retaliation were the "Middle Eastern" and broader locally-described "wog" ethnic groups, referring to Lebanese Australians and other Eastern Mediterranean ethnic groups, the target of the previous mob violence. The previous race riots, 20 years earlier, were triggered by local violent crimes committed by individual Lebanese Australian men in Sydney, in the context of tensions already heightened by terrorist attacks in Bali in 2002 targeting Australian tourists, and the September 11 attacks in 2001. A 20-year-old man appeared in court on charges of "using a carriage service to menace, harass, offend, and publicly threaten violence on grounds of race or religion", for attempting to incite retaliatory mob violence in response to the Bondi shooting. He was denied bail. • A police employee in Queensland was charged on 5 January 2026 with antisemitic online posts and comments related to the Bondi shooting. Other anti-Muslim incidents Two weeks after the attack, the Australian National Imams Council reported an almost tripling in hostile acts towards Australian Muslims and Islamic institutions, including vandalism, online abuse, and physical intimidation, in particular towards women wearing hijabs. Some groups started taking security measures, such as members sleeping in mosques overnight to protect the buildings against vandalism. Policy changes and proposals Albanese vowed to advocate for stricter gun laws following the attack. The NSW Parliament was recalled to debate the state's proposed reforms before Christmas. On 19 December, Albanese announced that the federal government will establish a gun buyback program, which will require the state and territory governments to agree to ambitious new gun law reforms. The Albanese government intends to introduce legislation into parliament to fund the buyback scheme, under a 50:50 cost-sharing arrangement between Australia's federal government and its state and territory governments. On 18 December, the Albanese government responded to a report delivered to the government in July 2025 on antisemitism, by the government's special envoy to combat antisemitism Jillian Segal, saying that they would take action on all the report's recommendations. The same day, the Albanese government announced the strengthening of hate speech laws.addressing hate speech, the display of offensive symbols and tightened gun controls. Premier Chris Minns stated that the government will take stronger action against what it classifies as hate speech and confirmed plans to have the chant "globalise the intifada" officially designated as hate speech. Immigration debates and hate crime laws The attack prompted discussions regarding Australia's immigration framework and gun laws, with some officials questioning the pathways from temporary visas to permanent residency and the criteria for obtaining a firearms license as a non-citizen permanent resident. On 12 January 2026, Albanese announced that the Australian Parliament would reconvene on 19 January to introduce fast-tracked hate speech and firearms legislation. The Prime Minister also confirmed that the federal government would seek cross-party support from the Coalition and Australian Greens. Sajid was born to a Muslim family in India, went to Australia as a student, married an Australian and settled down, retaining his Indian citizenship. Royal commission In the days following the attack, the New South Wales government announced that it would hold a royal commission to investigate the actions of New South Wales authorities, including the police response, gun licensing issues and antisemitism. On 29 December, the review's terms of reference werereleased. On 29 December, Albanese said that there were no plans for a federal royal commission, as it would give a platform to antisemitic view, and was not the best format for national security issues. On 8 January, Albanese announced a federal Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion which will examine the circumstances surrounding the attack. The Richardson review will become part of the commission and he will support its work, with delivery of an interim report by the commission in April. On 8 January, the Law Council of Australia, prior to the release of the royal commission's terms of reference, suggested that the New Zealand's royal commission into the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings could provide a "blueprint" for a royal commission into the attack "to ensure a criminal case is not compromised". On 9 January, the royal commission's terms of reference were released. == Reactions to the attack ==

Labelling as a massacre Organisations such as the DPMC, SBS News, ABC News, The Ethics Centre and The Guardian have referred to the attack as the Bondi massacre. Tributes On the second day of Hanukkah, the Sydney Opera House was lit with an image of candles on the Menorah. The decision to do this was an initiative of the NSW Premier Chris Minns. At the third Ashes test in Adelaide on 17 December, a three-minute silence was observed before the start of play, while both the Australian and English teams wore black armbands in memory of the victims of the shooting. A second tribute was held at the opening of the fifth Ashes test in Sydney on 4 January 2026 to honour victims and first responders. On 21 December, a nationwide minute of silence was held in Australia as part of a national day of reflection over the shooting. The 2025 Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks event included a minute's silence at 11pm and the projection of a menorah onto the pylons. The original plan was for a dove with the word "Peace" but after criticism from the Jewish community, the decision was made to feature a Jewish-specific symbol. On 22 January 2026, Australia observed a national day of mourning. On the Jewish holiday of Tu BiShvat, in early February 2026, the Jewish community planted trees in honour of those killed in the attack. Two days after the attack, the prime minister visited Syrian-born Ahmed al-Ahmed in hospital. On 18 December, al-Ahmed received million in donations from GoFundMe, with the largest donation coming from Jewish-American billionaire Bill Ackman, who donated . One Mitzvah for Bondi Led by Steve Kamper, the Minister for Multiculturalism, an emergency meeting of the New South Wales Faith Affairs Council was held on 19 December, at which the campaign One Mitzvah for Bondi was established. Minns announced the project at a vigil at Bondi Beach on the eighth and final night of the holiday on 21 December. The effort encourages individuals to make the commitment to perform a mitzvah, the Jewish principle of performing an act of kindness or charity, on behalf of a neighbour or of the community at large, citing the message of Hanukkah "that darkness cannot extinguish the light". Responses from Australian political leaders Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese described the shooting as "shocking and distressing" and called it "deliberately targeted at the Jewish community on the first day of Chanukah" and "an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism and terrorism on our shores". The Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, said "the reports and images coming out of Bondi tonight are deeply distressing" and encouraged people to follow the directions of police. Ley caused controversy and confusion by stating that the Royal Commission "must include reference to radical Islamic extremism, as well as far-left (pause) neo-Nazi extremism". When asked if she meant that Nazis were left wing, she said, "Far left and neo-Nazi extremism were the words that I used. Yes." Responses from Australian Jewish organisations Various Australian Jewish organisations had differing responses. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry issued a statement saying: "The time for talking is over. We need decisive leadership and action now to eradicate the scourge of antisemitism from Australia's public life, for which the Jewish community has long been advocating... The shooting attack targeted the Jewish community but it took place at Bondi Beach, the people's beach, on what should have been a carefree summer's day. It was an attack on all Australians, our freedoms and our way of life." The CEO of the conservative Australian Jewish Association, Robert Gregory, said: "This is an attack on the Jewish community that deeply pains us as a community". The president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Jeremy Leibler, said: "An attack on Jews celebrating their faith is an attack on Australia itself. It is an assault on our values, our social cohesion, and the basic right of people to gather withoutfear." Other organisations issuing statements included the Jewish Communal Appeal, Chabad NSW, Jewish National Fund Australia, Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants, Sydney Jewish Museum, Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, Anti-Defamation Commission, and The Joint Australia. Co-founder and executive of the progressive non-Zionist group Jewish Council of Australia (JCA) Max Kaiser called remarks by special envoy Jillian Segal "highly irresponsible", for a statement suggesting that the attack was a logical consequence of pro-Palestinian protests since October 2023. Responses from Australian Islamic organisations The Australian National Imams Council condemned the shooting, saying: "This is a moment for all Australians, including the Australian Muslim community, to stand together in unity, compassion, and solidarity, rejecting violence in all its forms and affirming our shared commitment to social harmony and the safety of all Australians". Muslim leaders in Sydney refused to perform funeral rites or receive the deceased gunman's body, condemning the shooting as a "barbaric, criminal, and terroristact". The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network condemned the attack and said "perpetrators of this horrendous attack do not represent our movement or the values we uphold". International responses Israel Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about the attack on Sunday 14 December Israeli time (Monday AEDT). About a month before the attack, Mossad warned Australian intelligence about possible attacks from the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Australian Financial Review said Mossad was "helping" ASIO. Two days after the shooting, Amichai Chikli, Israel's Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, made a brief visit to Sydney. Writing in Haaretz, Dana Segall said that progressive reactions to the attack failed to acknowledge and emphasise its antisemitic nature, "dilut[ing] Jewish victimhood into a vague slurry of 'violence,' 'tragedy,' and 'shared humanity'." Israeli presidential visit On 9 February 2026, Israeli president Isaac Herzog began an official visit to Australia, arriving in Sydney and laying of a wreath at the Bondi Beach memorial site, where he also met survivors and victims' families. In debates in the Australian Senate before the visit, the Australian Greens said that the president's visit would "inflame community tensions". According to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the visit was intended to "lift the spirits of a pained community", express solidarity with Jewish Australians and recalibrate bilateral ties. His visit was also welcomed by the Zionist Federation of Australia. United Nations Commissioner Chris Sidoti said the visit should not have happened because Herzog is personally guilty of incitement to genocide, relating to the genocide in Gaza. There were calls for Herzog to be arrested, and discussion about whether this was possible. The visit drew attention to other past actions of Herzog, such as signing bombs that were later dropped in Gaza. Herzog's visit was met with several protests, including pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane criticising Israel's actions in Gaza and opposing Herzog's presence. Police used pepper spray on protesters and journalists in Sydney. More than 100 Muslim organisations condemned the actions of NSW Police using disproportionate force against the group of Australian Muslims who were praying near the rally. Aftab Malik, Australia's special envoy to combat Islamophobia, demanded an apology from NSW police for using "excessive and unprovoked" force against a group of Muslim men who conducted impromptu prayers during a protest in Sydney which, according to Minns, was in "the middle of a riot". The independent Law Enforcement Conduct Commission will investigate the conduct of police at the rally. A demonstration outside parliament house in Canberra was addressed by Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi and joined by independent senator David Pocock. New Zealand in New Zealand Press statements were made by the New Zealand prime minister, Christopher Luxon, and armed police in New Zealand were deployed on 15 December to guard Jewish sites across the country, including the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand and Kadimah School. United Kingdom A press statement was made by UK prime minister Keir Starmer. In the United Kingdom, authorities cited the Bondi Beach attack as a factor in increasing enforcement against potentially violent protest behavior, alongside the Manchester synagogue attack that took place on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur on 2 October 2025. On 17 December 2025, police forces in London and Greater Manchester announced that individuals chanting "globalise the intifada" at protests would be arrested, describing the action as necessary because "violent acts have taken place, the context has changed, words have meaning and consequence". United States US President Donald Trump described the shooting as a "terrible ... antisemitic attack". According to The Jerusalem Post, an American official told Fox News that the US would support Israeli strikes on Iran if the Bondi attack had been ordered by Iran. Elsewhere overseas The attack was condemned by the leaders of many other nations: • French president Emmanuel Macron expressed "deep sadness" at the death of a French citizen. • Indian prime minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack, adding that "India has zero tolerance towards terrorism and supports the fight against all forms and manifestations of terrorism". • The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a condemnation of the shooting, with spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei writing on X that "Terror and killing of human beings, wherever committed, is rejected and condemned". He also said "We condemn the violent attack in Sydney, Australia. Terror violence and mass killing shall be condemned, wherever they're committed". • Jordan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Fouad al-Majali affirmed Jordan's solidarity with "friendly Australia". • Pakistan's prime minister and president condemned the attack. Arab News Pakistan reported that "Pakistan says it stands in solidarity with Australia", and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations". President Asif Ali Zardari said "Pakistan itself a victim of terrorism, stands in solidarity with and condemns violence against innocent civilians". Both men expressed condolences to the victims. • The Palestinian Authority condemned the attack and rejected "all forms of extremism and terrorism, including the killing of civilians". • Qatar's Foreign Ministry said the nation rejects "violence, terrorism and criminal acts regardless of their motives or causes". TRT World reported, "The ministry stressed that Türkiye stands in solidarity with Australia". • The United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the country "strongly condemns such criminal acts" and rejects "all forms of violence and terrorism". According to SITE Intelligence, IS has been using the attack as propaganda. IS also dedicated the entire full page editorial to the attack in the 18 December 2025 issue of Al-Naba, their Arabic-language propaganda magazine. Lebanese news quoted the al-Naba editorial as saying, "The Islamic State's official speeches and writings have consistently incited attacks against Jews and Christians during their holidays and gatherings," and the attackers "answered the call and carried out the recommendations to target holidays and gatherings". In late February 2026, IS spokesperson Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari claimed credit for the Bondi massacre, calling Sajid and Naveed Akram "soldiers" and "brave lions". Counter terrorism experts commented that it was part of a propaganda strategy to extend its influence and "typical" of them to claim affiliation and that the group sought to inspire "self-directed" terrorism. Iran international also pointed out that "The son of Iran's ex-ambassador to Australia" had posted about Hanukkah on X on 15 December 2015, even though his post made no mention of the attack. Speculation and accusations Recognition of the state of Palestine The Islamic State ideology explicitly opposes the concept of nation states, including the existence of a Palestinian state. Australian opposition leader Sussan Ley and other Liberal–National coalition MPs criticised Australia's recognition of Palestine for being linked to the shooting, despite this being directly contrary to the goals of the Islamic State, who aspire to be the only Islamic state and reject nation states as a concept, and have no interest in their local supporters. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the Albanese government for "pouring fuel on this antisemitic fire" as a result of policies such as the recognition of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025. Albanese rejected the accusations, but later expressed his concern regarding some of the language used during pro-Palestine protests. Netanyahu has been pushing a "Hamas is ISIS" slogan since the 2014 Gaza war. In an interview with Channel 4 News UK, former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull criticised Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for attributing the attack to Australian recognition of the State of Palestine, pointing out that the vast majority of nations recognise the state, and told "Bibi Netanyahu" to "stay out of our politics". Turnbull's remarks to Channel 4 UK were repeated in multiple other news sources. False flag conspiracy theories Islamic State (Daesh) state media criticised the false flag claims in their Al-Naba newspaper. False flag conspiracy theories had broadly become more common over the past five years. The Israeli false flag rumours were also circulating on social media. There were also false flag conspiracy theories about Iran and the Islamic State. Misinformation Following the attack, various pieces of misinformation were shared online. A website impersonating The Daily Aus, registered the same day as the shooting, launched an article purposely mislabelling bystander Ahmed al-Ahmed. There were rumours on social media blaming Lebanese people and other Arabs, or claiming the shooters were Pakistani. Additional posts online falsely claimed one of the alleged shooters had served in the IDF. Arsen Ostrovsky, a human rights attorney, survivor of the October 7 attacks, and employee of the Israeli think-tank Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, moved to Australia on 1 December, and became a victim of diverse online suspicion and even accusation after the shooting. A fake AI-generated image was posted on the social media website X on 16 December 2025 by a Pakistan-based account going by the username of @RomiAlerts, with the caption claiming that Naveed Akram, one of the alleged assailants in the shooting, had travelled to Manila, Philippines on an Indian passport before the shooting, and met with Kant Kothari, the defence attaché of India, outside a Jollibee restaurant. The post was fact-checked and debunked as "fake news" by the Australian Associated Press and the Agence France-Presse. Pakistani officials accused "hostile countries", in particular India, of spreading such misinformation. Such claims, alongside others, were spread by xAI's chatbot, Grok. Al Jazeera noted social media posts from around the world claiming that Ahmed al-Ahmed, one of the bystanders who intervened, had a completely different name or that he was a Lebanese Maronite Christian or a Jew. Al-Ahmed was later confirmed to be a Muslim, and a naturalised citizen of Australia who had emigrated from Syria. == Memorialisation ==

In the wake of the incident, the Sydney Jewish Museum worked to preserve artifacts from the massacre, including rescue boards used as stretchers for victims, flowers and plush toys placed at the site to memorialise the tragedy, and recordings of eyewitness testimonies. Saying that the incident was "not history yet", the museum's senior curator said that the effort to gather and display the items was intended to provide a measure of "comfort that can be found in knowing that these stories are going to be preserved". == Media depictions ==

Documentaries • Four Corners produced a two-part special on the attack. Part 1, Bondi: Light Over Darkness, aired on 2 February 2026. Part 2, Bondi: Path to Terror, was aired on 9 February, and investigated the secret lives of the terrorists, uncovering new information about the years leading up to the attack. The report was criticised by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation for focusing on a former ASIO informant as a source. The ABC stood by the report. Books • In January 2026, Menachem Creditor, an American rabbi, published We Will Prevail: Jewish Responses to Bondi Beach, an anthology of essays, poems and firsthand reflections from around the world. The anthology includes a foreword by a survivor of the attack, Creditor's brother-in-law Arsen Ostrovsky. == See also ==