On December 14, a father-and-son duo allegedly killed 15 people at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration after throwing four homemade explosive devices. Australian police documents released Monday detail how the attacks unfolded and the weapons used.
The Explosive Devices
Police described the four devices as three aluminum pipe bombs and a tennis ball bomb that contained explosive, gunpowder and steel ball bearings. The devices failed to detonate, but officials called them “viable” IEDs. The failure to explode added a chilling layer of danger to the already violent scene.
Firearms Training and Planning
The men, 24-year-old Naveed Akram and his 50-year-old father Sajid Akram, also conducted firearms training in an area of New South Wales outside Sydney. Documents show that the pair recorded footage justifying the meticulously planned attack. The footage, found on Naveed Akram’s phone, shows the two men “condemning the acts of Zionists” while also “adhere to a religiously motivated ideology linked to Islamic State.” In October, the video shows them firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner on grassland surrounded by trees.
The Attack Scene
Officers wounded Naveed Akram at the scene of the Dec. 14 shooting and killed his father. Dashcam video shows a couple, who were killed in the attack, trying to stop one of the gunmen. The couple had rented a room in the Sydney suburb of Campsie for three weeks before they left at 2:16 a.m. on the day of the attack. CCTV recorded them carrying what police allege were two shotguns, a rifle, five IEDs and two homemade Islamic State group flags wrapped in blankets.
Police released images of the gunmen shooting from a footbridge, providing them with an elevated viewpoint and the protection of waist-high concrete walls. The largest IED was found near the footbridge in the trunk of the son’s car, which had been left draped with the flags.
Charges and Legal Proceedings
Authorities charged Akram with 59 offences: 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of causing harm with intent to murder in relation to the wounded survivors, and one count of committing a terrorist act. The antisemitic attack at the start of the eight-day Hanukkah celebration is Australia’s worst mass shooting since a lone gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania in 1996.
The New South Wales government introduced draft laws to Parliament on Monday that Premier Chris Minns said would become the toughest in Australia. The new restrictions would include making Australian citizenship a condition of qualifying for a firearms licence, a measure that would have excluded Sajid Akram, an Indian citizen with a permanent resident visa. Sajid Akram also legally owned six rifles and shotguns; the new legal limit for recreational shooters would be a maximum of four guns.
Aftermath and Memorials
An impromptu memorial that grew near the Bondi Pavilion after the massacre, as thousands of mourners brought flowers and heartfelt cards, was removed Monday as the beachfront returned to more normal activity. The Sydney Jewish Museum will preserve part of the memorial. Victims’ funerals continued Monday, with French national Dan Elkayam’s service held in the nearby suburb of Woollahra, at the heart of Sydney’s Jewish life. The 27-year-old moved from Paris to Sydney a year ago.
The health department said 12 people wounded in the attack remained in hospitals on Monday. Naveed Akram was transferred from a hospital to a prison on Monday, though authorities did not identify either facility.
Key Takeaways
- Four homemade explosive devices were thrown at Bondi Beach before gunfire, but the bombs failed to detonate.
- Naveed Akram and his father were charged with 59 offences, including 15 murders and one terrorist act.
- New gun-licence restrictions in New South Wales will tie firearms licences to Australian citizenship.
The tragic events at Bondi Beach mark a dark chapter in Australia’s history, prompting immediate legal action and a nationwide review of gun-ownership laws.
