Sajid and Naveed Akram, father & son identified as Bondi Beach shooters hailing from Pakistan who launched mass shooting that left 16 dead, 40 injured during Jewish celebrations.
Police have confirmed the two Bondi Beach gunmen involved in Sunday’s mass shooting that left 16 dead and 40 injured are a father and son. The fatalities included a child as young as ten along with an 87 year old.
Naveed Akram, 24, remains in hospital under police guard after his 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram a local fruit shop owner from Sydney’s South-west, Bonnyrigg was shot dead in the exchange of gunfire with police on Sunday.
Reports told of Akram being an unemployed bricklayer of Pakistani origin and who had studied at Hamdard University in Islamabad, Pakistan. Possibly affiliated with terrorist groups and trained in firearms.
Os autores do ataque terrorista em Bondi Beach, Sydney, eram um pai e filho: Sajid Akram (50 anos) morto no local e Naveed Akram (24 anos) gravemente ferido.
O #ataqueterrorista ocorrido hoje (14 de dezembro de 2025) na praia de #Bondi_Beach, em #Sydney, #Australia, resultou em… pic.twitter.com/LdR45pGTWX— Histórias do Mundo (@Historiasdomund) December 14, 2025
Pakistani national, id as one of Sydney Bondi mass shooting suspects
The father had a license for 6 firearms, all of which were used in the attack and had been in Australia under a tourist visa.
Speaking to reporters on Monday morning, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the older man had been a licensed firearms holder for the past 10 years.
‘He has six firearms licensed to him. We are satisfied that we have six firearms from the scene yesterday,’ he said according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
‘He was determined to be entitled to have a firearms licence and had a firearms licence.
‘The person that had a firearms licence for a number of years, for which there were no incidents and it was regulated.’
Sydney father of 2 id as Bondi Beach hero bystander who disarmed shooter
Police said that they were ‘aware’ of one of the gunmen was known to Australian Security Intelligence Service and had been under surveillance but had yet to arrest him prior to Sunday’s bloodbath that left 16 dead and 40 injured.
Witnesses said two men stepped out of the vehicle on Campbell Parade, just on 6.40 p.m and over the course of roughly 10 minutes fired around 50 bullets into packed crowds and beach attendees.
Akram was shot, arrested and remains in custody, where he is being treated by emergency services. Reports told of the 24-year-old not being on cops radar.
Commissioner Lanyon said police believed there were just two people involved in the attack and were not looking for anyone else who was ‘directly involved’.
24 year old gunman’s mother described shooter son as ‘good boy.’
NSW Premier Chris Minns said law reform would almost certainly come in the aftermath of the massacre, including changes to the state’s gun laws.
‘We need to send a strong and clear repudiation of antisemitism in all of its forms, there is no tolerance for racism or Jewish hatred in NSW or Australia,’ Minns said.
Akram is a recently unemployed bricklayer, who told family he was going on a fishing trip for the weekend. Police have swarmed Akram’s Bonnyrigg home and a Campsie short-term rental where the father and son had been staying.
Naveed’s mother, Verena, speaking with Australian media described her son as a ‘good boy.’
‘He doesn’t have a firearm. He doesn’t even go out. He doesn’t mix around with friends. He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t go to bad places … he goes to work, he comes home, he goes to exercise, and that’s it,’ the mother said. ‘Anyone would wish to have a son like my son … he’s a good boy.’
Naveed was a bricklayer before being laid off about two months ago according to the parent.
Father and son had come to target Jewish congregants celebrating Hanukkah festivities at Bondi Beach
On the day of the shooting, the two alleged gunmen were believed to be staying in an Airbnb in Campsie that has also been searched by police.
Police also found several improvised explosive devices in a car on Campbell Parade, which runs parallel to the beach. The car is linked to one of the shooters.
The father and son duo targeted a ‘Hanukkah by the Sea event’ on Sydney’s Bondi Beach in an act of ‘terrorism’. Around 1000 Jewish congregants were in attendance. That was in addition to the thousands more locals and tourists enjoying Australia’s most iconic beach on a warm summer’s evening.
At least 16 people were killed and at least 40 people were injured as the Jewish community was taking part in a family-focused festival to celebrate the the first night of Hanukkah.
Police sources told The Daily Telegraph that the terrorists also threw two pipe bombs towards the crowd but they failed to explode. Further explosvies were found in a parked car on Campbell Parade.
Police are not looking for any other persons of interest.
