The Akram Father-Son Duo: What Emerging Details Reveal About Australia’s Bondi Beach Shooters

Last Updated:December 15, 2025, 10:00 IST

The father-son duo identified as the shooters is now being examined for possible ISIS links as the terror probe widens.

The two gunmen in the Australian shooting (Photo: Social Media)

Australian authorities have confirmed the two gunmen behind the mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach were a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son, and that no other attackers were involved. According to a report with CBS News, one of the alleged assailants was identified as a Pakistani national, US intelligence officials were quoted as saying.

The identification of the pair has become the centre of the investigation, as authorities work to establish who they were, how they accessed multiple firearms, and whether the attack was linked to extremist or antisemitic intent.

Police said the 50-year-old father was shot and killed by officers at the scene during the attack, while the younger man remains in hospital in critical but stable condition under police guard.

The attack unfolded on Sunday during a Jewish community gathering at Bondi Beach, a location that is among Australia’s most iconic public spaces. It left at least 15 people dead and dozens injured; with the death of one of the suspects included, the total toll is 16.

What Authorities Have Confirmed About The Suspects

Law enforcement sources cited by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation identified the pair as Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram. Naveed, 24, was apprehended at the scene, taken to the hospital, and remains under police guard.

Police have emphasised that they are still working through the backgrounds of both individuals.

Naveed is believed to have studied religion at an Islamic centre in Australia that has ties to other Muslim-run organisations in the country. He was tagged in a February 2022 social media post praising him for mastering “all the rules of tajweed", the recitation of laws of the Quran, at the Al-Murad Institute outside Sydney.

“Another one of my dear students, Naveed Akram, passing the Iqra books and tajweed this morning, perfecting his all the rules of tajweed," Adam Ismail, head of the institute, said in the since-deleted Facebook post.

The post showed the pair smiling at the camera in what appeared to be a library, as Akram proudly held up his certificate.

Al-Murad Institute has since wiped its website and social media accounts. Ismail said he lost contact with his former student in early 2022 and now claims the deadly shooting has triggered death threats, forcing him and his family to flee their home, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. “I am devastated by the images of the victims in Bondi," he told the newspaper.

Terrorism-Related Elements Now Under Investigation

One of the most significant strands of the investigation concerns extremist elements possibly linked to the attackers.

The ABC reported that the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the country’s FBI, previously investigated Naveed in 2019 for possible terror ties.

Investigators reportedly recovered an ISIS flag from a vehicle associated with the suspects. According to ABC, the Australian Anti-Terrorism Agency is examining whether the father and son had any link to the Islamic State.

Authorities believe the attackers had pledged allegiance to ISIS, and the discovery of the flag has intensified the terrorism angle of the investigation.

The fact that the shooting took place during Hanukkah, a Jewish community event, has intensified scrutiny of the motive.

Firearms Licensing And Weapons Seized From The Suspects

One of the central questions in the aftermath of the attack is how the father obtained and held multiple firearms.

Commissioner Lanyon said the 50-year-old father met the eligibility criteria for a firearms licence and held a recreational hunting licence. He explained that New South Wales issues two main categories of hunting licences: one allowing hunting on a property, and another requiring participation in a hunting club, sometimes referred to as a gun club. The suspect held the latter category.

Lanyon said the father had held a firearms licence since 2015, meaning he had been licensed for approximately ten years. He stated that the man was legally entitled to own his firearms under existing regulations.

Police said they seized six weapons owned by the father. Forensic analysis is now underway to determine whether the weapons recovered match the firearms that were licensed to the deceased suspect.

This licensing background has become a critical area of examination because it points to issues of oversight and the adequacy of screening mechanisms in identifying individuals who may pose future risks despite meeting eligibility criteria at the time of licensing.

Casualties Linked To The Attack

Authorities have said that at least 15 people were killed during the attack. With the death of the father included, the toll rose to 16. At least 40 people remain hospitalised. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the victims ranged in age from 10 to 87, underscoring the indiscriminate nature of the violence. Among those killed were a 10-year-old child and an 87-year-old man.

Screams could be heard between loud gunshots, which continued for 10 terrifying minutes before a local fruit seller — 43-year-old Ahmed Al-Ahemd — snuck up on Akram and tackled him to the ground.

Officials have described the attack as Australia’s deadliest shooting incident in nearly thirty years.

Official Responses And Measures Announced After The Attack

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack, calling it “an act of pure evil." Speaking at a news conference on Monday, he said Bondi Beach, a location associated with joy and celebration, “is forever tarnished" by the violence.

“What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of anti-semitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location, Bondi Beach, that is associated with joy, associated with families gathering, associated with celebrations, and it is forever tarnished by what has occurred last evening," he said.

Albanese announced that flags across the country would fly at half-staff as a mark of national mourning.

Authorities also urged members of the public to donate blood through the Red Cross to support the injured. Police have strengthened their presence in neighbourhoods with significant Jewish populations and have increased security at synagogues and community centres.

What Investigators Are Still Examining About The Suspects

Police are continuing to reconstruct the movements and preparations of the father and son before the attack. Authorities have said the pair told family members they were going on a weekend fishing trip to Jervis Bay. That detail is now being examined as part of the broader effort to determine whether the suspects attempted to conceal their plans or travel with a pretext.

Investigators have said they are still working to establish motive, whether extremist ideology played a role, and how the attack was planned. They have also highlighted ongoing coordination with Commonwealth agencies, including forensic and intelligence components.

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