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On 14 December 2025, a terrorist mass shooting occurred at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, during a large Hanukkah celebration hosted by the Chabad of Bondi. The shooting occurred in the late afternoon at a playground within Archer Park. Authorities declared it a terrorist incident, and numerous world leaders and news outlets described it as antisemitic.
Sixteen people were killed, including a child and one of the two alleged shooters, with the second shooter in custody. A bystander had intervened and disarmed one of the gunmen. Police said the alleged gunmen were father and son. Forty-two people were injured and taken to the hospital, including at least two police officers. The New South Wales Police Force responded to the incident and police later found and removed a suspected home made bomb from a car belonging to one of the shooters. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was a deliberate attack on Jewish people during Hanukkah.
It is the second-deadliest mass shooting in Australian history, behind the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, and the deadliest terror incident in Australian history.
Bondi Beach is one of Australia's most popular seaside areas. It is located in Sydney's eastern suburbs; this area is known as the centre of the Jewish community of Sydney, which in turn is one of the two largest Jewish communities in Australia alongside Melbourne's. The Bondi area of Sydney had experienced recent heightened security concerns due to the Bondi Junction stabbings in April 2024.
Australia had experienced an increase in attacks on Jewish communities and individuals since the beginning of the Gaza war in October 2023. In August 2024, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) lifted 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 doing so.
The incident took place at an annual Chabad community event ("Hanukkah by the Sea"), which celebrates the beginning of Hanukkah. The event was held at Archer Park just east of the Bondi Pavilion, and was attended by nearly 1,000 people.
Initial videos of the incident showed two men dressed in black firing upon the crowd from a footbridge striding the carpark to the north of the Bondi Pavilion, reportedly with at least one bolt action rifle. Around 50 gunshots were fired during the attack. Emergency services were first called to the scene at 18:47 (AEDT, UTC+11). New South Wales Police released a statement at 18:57 confirming an incident was being responded to.
The BBC later verified a nearly continuous 11-minute video, filmed from approximately 50 metres away, that begins shortly after the incident begins and captures the first police officer stepping onto the pedestrian bridge as well as wounded participants at the "Hanukkah on the Beach" event being treated.
One of the shooters, while aiming down his sights and firing, was disarmed by an unarmed male bystander. He tackled the shooter from behind and managed to seize the weapon from him, and then aimed it back at the shooter. The shooter retreated to a bridge where the other gunman was positioned. A police officer then arrived and opened fire on the gunmen from behind.
In the hours following the attack, police reported finding home made bombs inside a car on Campbell Parade, the main road running parallel to Bondi Beach and they had later been removed by the New South Wales bomb squad.
New South Wales Police apprehended two attackers; one died at the scene, while one was rushed to hospital in critical condition under police guard.
Police declared the shooting a terrorist incident. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) stated one of the offenders was known to them.
Victims
New South Wales premier Chris Minns initially confirmed the shooters killed at least 12 people and injured at least another 29, including 2 police officers. Ryan Park, New South Wales Minister for Health later announced that the death toll had risen to 16, with 14 having died at the scene and 2 while hospitalised. The ages of the dead ranged from 10 to 87 years. At least 42 people were injured, 5 critically.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that one Israeli was killed and another was injured. French national and Rockdale Ilinden FC player Dan Elkayam, and Randwick DRUFC manager Peter "Marzo" Meagher, were killed. Chabad rabbis Eli Schlanger and Yaakov Levitan, along with Chabad community member Reuven Morrison, were killed, and several other emissaries were wounded. Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor, was also killed while trying to save his wife. The youngest fatality was a 10-year-old girl identified only as Matilda.
It is the second-deadliest mass shooting in Australian history, behind the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, and the deadliest terror incident in Australian history. It is also one of the deadliest attacks on Jews outside Israel in decades, and the deadliest since the October 7 attacks in 2023.
Suspects
Videos from the scene showed two men dressed in black shooting from a pedestrian bridge. New South Wales Police engaged the pair, killing one gunman at the scene while the other was shot, and taken into custody and hospitalised under police guard.
According to New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon and BBC News, the shooters were a father and son, Sajid Akram, aged 50, and Naveed Akram, aged 24, with Sajid being killed at the scene. The suspect was a member of a gun club and possessed at least six licensed firearms. The suspect, whose home in Bonnyrigg was raided by police, was known to ASIO but had been deemed "not an immediate threat", even though he was linked to ISIS. Following the raid on the property, a man and a woman were taken into police custody. A raid was also conducted on a Campsie home where the pair were believed to have been staying. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the pair had told family members they were going on a fishing trip at Jervis Bay prior to the attack. Police said the father had a licence to own six firearms, which were believed to have been used in the attack.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese described the shooting as "shocking and distressing" and called it a "targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah". Albanese vowed to advocate for stricter gun laws following the attack. Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns stated that "the reports and images coming out of Bondi tonight are deeply distressing" and encouraged people to follow the directions of police. Minister for home affairs Tony Burke called the shooting an "appalling act of violence". As Australia's head of state, King Charles III said he and Queen Camilla were "appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack on Jewish people". The police commissioner of New South Wales, Mal Lanyon, designated the shooting a terrorist incident.
Australian Jewish Association CEO 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 without fear".
The Australian National Imams Council also condemned the shooting, stating that "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".
Those who condemned the attack included Argentina's president Javier Milei; Canada's prime minister Mark Carney; Denmark's King Frederik X and Queen Mary; Finland's president Alexander Stubb; France's president Emmanuel Macron; Germany's chancellor Friedrich Merz; India's prime minister Narendra Modi; Iranian spokesman Esmail Baghaei; Ireland's minister for foreign affairs Helen McEntee; Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni; Malaysia's prime minister Anwar Ibrahim; New Zealand's prime minister Christopher Luxon; Pakistan's prime minister Shehbaz Sharif; the Palestinian Authority foreign ministry; Poland's president Karol Nawrocki; Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry; Singapore's prime minister Lawrence Wong; Sweden's prime minister Ulf Kristersson; Taiwan's president Lai Ching-te; Timor-Leste's prime minister Xanana Gusmão; the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy; UK prime minister Keir Starmer and opposition leader Kemi Badenoch; members of the British royal family William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales; US president Donald Trump; US secretary of state Marco Rubio; Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson and FBI director Kash Patel. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also released statements.
Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the shooting and blamed the Albanese government for "pouring fuel on this antisemitic fire". Israeli president Isaac Herzog and foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar also made statements.
In response to the Bondi Beach shooting, 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.
Sixteen people were killed, including a child and one of the two alleged shooters, with the second shooter in custody. A bystander had intervened and disarmed one of the gunmen. Police said the alleged gunmen were father and son. Forty-two people were injured and taken to the hospital, including at least two police officers. The New South Wales Police Force responded to the incident and police later found and removed a suspected home made bomb from a car belonging to one of the shooters. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was a deliberate attack on Jewish people during Hanukkah.
It is the second-deadliest mass shooting in Australian history, behind the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, and the deadliest terror incident in Australian history.
Bondi Beach is one of Australia's most popular seaside areas. It is located in Sydney's eastern suburbs; this area is known as the centre of the Jewish community of Sydney, which in turn is one of the two largest Jewish communities in Australia alongside Melbourne's. The Bondi area of Sydney had experienced recent heightened security concerns due to the Bondi Junction stabbings in April 2024.
Australia had experienced an increase in attacks on Jewish communities and individuals since the beginning of the Gaza war in October 2023. In August 2024, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) lifted 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 doing so.
The incident took place at an annual Chabad community event ("Hanukkah by the Sea"), which celebrates the beginning of Hanukkah. The event was held at Archer Park just east of the Bondi Pavilion, and was attended by nearly 1,000 people.
Initial videos of the incident showed two men dressed in black firing upon the crowd from a footbridge striding the carpark to the north of the Bondi Pavilion, reportedly with at least one bolt action rifle. Around 50 gunshots were fired during the attack. Emergency services were first called to the scene at 18:47 (AEDT, UTC+11). New South Wales Police released a statement at 18:57 confirming an incident was being responded to.
The BBC later verified a nearly continuous 11-minute video, filmed from approximately 50 metres away, that begins shortly after the incident begins and captures the first police officer stepping onto the pedestrian bridge as well as wounded participants at the "Hanukkah on the Beach" event being treated.
One of the shooters, while aiming down his sights and firing, was disarmed by an unarmed male bystander. He tackled the shooter from behind and managed to seize the weapon from him, and then aimed it back at the shooter. The shooter retreated to a bridge where the other gunman was positioned. A police officer then arrived and opened fire on the gunmen from behind.
In the hours following the attack, police reported finding home made bombs inside a car on Campbell Parade, the main road running parallel to Bondi Beach and they had later been removed by the New South Wales bomb squad.
New South Wales Police apprehended two attackers; one died at the scene, while one was rushed to hospital in critical condition under police guard.
Police declared the shooting a terrorist incident. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) stated one of the offenders was known to them.
Victims
New South Wales premier Chris Minns initially confirmed the shooters killed at least 12 people and injured at least another 29, including 2 police officers. Ryan Park, New South Wales Minister for Health later announced that the death toll had risen to 16, with 14 having died at the scene and 2 while hospitalised. The ages of the dead ranged from 10 to 87 years. At least 42 people were injured, 5 critically.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that one Israeli was killed and another was injured. French national and Rockdale Ilinden FC player Dan Elkayam, and Randwick DRUFC manager Peter "Marzo" Meagher, were killed. Chabad rabbis Eli Schlanger and Yaakov Levitan, along with Chabad community member Reuven Morrison, were killed, and several other emissaries were wounded. Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor, was also killed while trying to save his wife. The youngest fatality was a 10-year-old girl identified only as Matilda.
It is the second-deadliest mass shooting in Australian history, behind the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, and the deadliest terror incident in Australian history. It is also one of the deadliest attacks on Jews outside Israel in decades, and the deadliest since the October 7 attacks in 2023.
Suspects
Videos from the scene showed two men dressed in black shooting from a pedestrian bridge. New South Wales Police engaged the pair, killing one gunman at the scene while the other was shot, and taken into custody and hospitalised under police guard.
According to New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon and BBC News, the shooters were a father and son, Sajid Akram, aged 50, and Naveed Akram, aged 24, with Sajid being killed at the scene. The suspect was a member of a gun club and possessed at least six licensed firearms. The suspect, whose home in Bonnyrigg was raided by police, was known to ASIO but had been deemed "not an immediate threat", even though he was linked to ISIS. Following the raid on the property, a man and a woman were taken into police custody. A raid was also conducted on a Campsie home where the pair were believed to have been staying. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the pair had told family members they were going on a fishing trip at Jervis Bay prior to the attack. Police said the father had a licence to own six firearms, which were believed to have been used in the attack.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese described the shooting as "shocking and distressing" and called it a "targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah". Albanese vowed to advocate for stricter gun laws following the attack. Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns stated that "the reports and images coming out of Bondi tonight are deeply distressing" and encouraged people to follow the directions of police. Minister for home affairs Tony Burke called the shooting an "appalling act of violence". As Australia's head of state, King Charles III said he and Queen Camilla were "appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack on Jewish people". The police commissioner of New South Wales, Mal Lanyon, designated the shooting a terrorist incident.
Australian Jewish Association CEO 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 without fear".
The Australian National Imams Council also condemned the shooting, stating that "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".
Those who condemned the attack included Argentina's president Javier Milei; Canada's prime minister Mark Carney; Denmark's King Frederik X and Queen Mary; Finland's president Alexander Stubb; France's president Emmanuel Macron; Germany's chancellor Friedrich Merz; India's prime minister Narendra Modi; Iranian spokesman Esmail Baghaei; Ireland's minister for foreign affairs Helen McEntee; Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni; Malaysia's prime minister Anwar Ibrahim; New Zealand's prime minister Christopher Luxon; Pakistan's prime minister Shehbaz Sharif; the Palestinian Authority foreign ministry; Poland's president Karol Nawrocki; Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry; Singapore's prime minister Lawrence Wong; Sweden's prime minister Ulf Kristersson; Taiwan's president Lai Ching-te; Timor-Leste's prime minister Xanana Gusmão; the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy; UK prime minister Keir Starmer and opposition leader Kemi Badenoch; members of the British royal family William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales; US president Donald Trump; US secretary of state Marco Rubio; Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson and FBI director Kash Patel. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also released statements.
Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the shooting and blamed the Albanese government for "pouring fuel on this antisemitic fire". Israeli president Isaac Herzog and foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar also made statements.
In response to the Bondi Beach shooting, 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.
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