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The 2025 Bondi Beach shooting was a terrorist mass shooting that occurred at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia during a Hanukkah celebration attended by approximately one thousand people on 14 December 2025. Beginning at 6:47 pm, two alleged gunmen – Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram – killed 15 people, including a 10-year-old child, over seven minutes. Australian Federal Police declared it an Islamic State–linked terrorist attack. Numerous world leaders, news outlets and Australian authorities declared that the shooting was motivated by antisemitism. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said it was a deliberate attack on Jewish people during the first day of Hanukkah.

The following is a timeline of the attacks, their background and aftermath.

• 28 April 1996 – A 25-year-old lone gunman kills 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania. Australia responds by introducing extremely strict gun laws.^[37][38][39]

• 1998 – Sajid Akram, the older Bondi gunman, migrated to Australia from Hyderabad, in Southern India.^{[40][41][42][43]} Indian media alleged that he later became distant from his family in Indian because they disapproved of him marrying a Christian woman in Australia.^[44]

• 2001 – Sajid Akram transferred to a partner visa, via relationship with Italian Australian partner.^[45]
• August 2001 ^[46] – Naveed was born in Australia to a European-Australian mother and father (Sajid) from Hyderabad (in southern India).^[47][48]
• 11 September 2001 – The Islamic State arose as an offshoot of al Qaeda in Iraq during the war on terror. The war began with al Qaeda's attack on The Pentagon, New York City's World Trade Center, and an unknown fourth target, in retaliation for United States involvement in the Middle East.^[49][50][51] Australian Prime Minister John Howard (from the center-right Liberal Party) quickly brought Australia into the war, citing the ANZUS treaty.^[51][52]

• 12 October 2002 – The 2002 Bali bombings, targeting Australian tourists in neighbouring Indonesia, were the deadliest terror attack in Australian history, killing 88 Australians, 38 locals, and 202 people in total.^[53][54] The attack, carried out in response to Australian actions in the US-led war on terror.^[54][55]

• The Islamic State group form in Iraq and begin their conquest of Iraq and Syria.
• Islamic State declare a Caliphate, they announce this on Twitter and elsewhere online.^[56][57] The Caliphate's physical territory is in Iraq and Syria, and they proclaimed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi the Caliph.^[58] Their Caliphate is rejected almost immediately by mainstream Muslims, in the Letter to Baghdadi and a wide variety of other public statements.
• August 2014 – Benjamin Netanyahu begins his ongoing campaign of conflating ISIS and Hamas.^[59] Netanyahu illustrates his claim by posting ISIS propaganda to his official social media profiles, offending the family of James Foley whose beheading video was included.^[59]
• 15 December 2014 – Lindt Cafe siege in Sydney, by Man Haron Monis.

• October 2025 – Sajid Akram first lodges a gun licence application, but it lapses without being completed.^[60][61]

• 15 July 2017 – Failed Islamic State–linked plan to bomb an Etihad Airways flight departing Sydney for Abu Dhabi.^[62] Brothers Mahmoud and Khaled Khayat in Sydney planted a bomb in luggage belonging to their brother Amer Khayat, using parts sent to them by a forth brother, Tarek Khayat, from overseas. Amer was found not guilty, he was used as an unwitting proxy, possibly because his brothers disapproved of his drinking and other habits.^{[63][64][65][66]}

• 15 March 2019 – An attack by an Australian terrorist – inspired by the antisemitic Great Replacement conspiracy theory – kills 51 people in New Zealand. His attack features in Islamic State propaganda with Abu Hassan al-Muhajir calling for attacks on the “nations of the Cross and the apostate” in retaliation for the attack.^[67] The Australian terrorist's propaganda was also used by his own side to promote copycat attacks, including on synagogues.
• Youssef Uweinat (an associate of Naveed) was convicted of terrorism and imprisoned, for attempting to recruit minors to carry out attacks for Islamic State.^[68][69][70]
• Naveed Akram was investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) over his extremist links.^[71][72] The investigation occurred after a planned attack had been successfully thwarted.^[73]

• Sajid Akram reapplies for a gun licence. At the time his son Naveed is being watched by ASIO, as a known associate of a convicted Islamic State youth recruiter.^[60]

• January – Singaporean security services report the arrest of a youth who was planning a copycat attack on the anniversary of the 15 Match 2019 attack. He had watched videos of theַ shooting spree, read the Australian terrorist's antisemitic manifesto, and also watched ISIS propaganda. The arrested youth "came to the erroneous conclusion that ISIS represented Islam, and that Islam called on its followers to kill non-believers".^[74]

• Youssef Uweinat (a past associate of Naveed) was released from prison.^[75][76]
• Sajid Akram's gun licence is granted.^[60] At the time he in Australia legally, living with his Australian-born wife and children (who are all citizens), but he is not a citizen himself. After the attack one of the first changes proposed to tighten him laws was restricting gun licences to Australian citizens only.^[77][78]

• 13 April – Bondi Junction stabbings, a man from Toowoomba, Queensland stabbed to death 5 women and one man, and injured many others.^[79]
• 15 April – 2024 Wakeley church stabbing, a somewhat extremist Christian priest, from the minority Assyrian community, was stabbed by a mentally disturbed teenagers who referenced Islam in phrases he yelled during the attack. At the time it was characterised as not organised or politically motivated.

• 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 doing so.^[80][81]

• Isaac El Matari eligible for parole.^[82]

• Mike Burgess, the director-general of Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), told a Senate committee that Antisemitism was the “number one priority in terms of threat to life... because of the weight of incidents we’re seeing play out in this country”.^[83]

• 20 March 2025 – A 19-year old West Australian man is sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by the Perth District Court on one count of transmitting violent extremist material online and one count of using a carriage service to cause offence after sharing Islamic State-produced videos that included beheadings and recordings encouraging violence. He is the first person convicted and sentenced in Australia for transmitting violent extremist material online under the new Commonwealth offence introduced in January 2024 as part of amendments to Australian counter-terrorism legislation.^[84][85]

• 10 June 2025 – Iran executed 9 convicted Islamic State militants, who had been captured by the IRGC in 2018. They were charged with Moharebeh ("waging war against God") and terrorism against civilians, among other crimes.^[86]
• William Hadad (also known as "Wissam Haddad" and "Abu Ousayd", an extremist preacher who Naveed Akram was linked to as a teenager) loose a racial vilification law suit about speeches he made in November 2023.^[87]

• Two Islamic State supporters appeared to trying to exploit public protests to further their own agenda. Youssef Uweinat (released from prison in 2023, but claimed to have split from IS) was photographed waving a black flag at the edges of a protest on the Harbour bridge.^[69] Extremist preacher William Haddad (also known as "Wissam Haddad" and "Abu Ousayd") posted the flag image on social media saying, "The only flag that counts!" The ABC News report described the preacher as having "no interest in a Palestinian state" and trying to "exploit and fracture the pro-Palestinian movement".^[88]

• 20 October – Alleged gunmen Sajid and Naveed Akram book a room at an AirBNB in southwest Sydney suburb of Campsie.^[89]
• Australia were on high alert to the possibility of attacks, but the most urgent warnings had been about very different threat sources, such as the IRGC and other Iran-linked threats.^[90]

• 1 November to 28 November – Sajid and Naveed Akram were in the Philippines for four weeks. During this trip they possibly travelled to Davao City, where terrorism is common.^[91]
• 27 November – The Australian Government listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a state sponsor of terrorism.^[92] The IRGC have fought directly against Islamic State in Iran.^[93]

• 12 December – CCTV evening footage of Sajid and Naveed Akram at the site of the attack two days beforehand; police allege reconnaissance.^[94]

17:00 Start of Chanuka by the Sea 2025.^[95] More than a thousand attend.^[96]

17:09 – Sajid and Naveed Akram leaving an AirBNB^[97] on 103 Brighton Ave.^{[98][full citation needed]} Campsie in their 2001 silver Hyundai Elantra^[89] for the 45-minute drive from Bondi Beach. Wrapped in blankets are two single barrel shotguns, a Beretta rifle, four IEDs and two ISIS flags.^[94]

17:58 – Car stops on Ocean Street in Woollahra^[99] for 19 minutes.^[94]

18:25 – Car seen on Old South Head Rd.^[94]

18:50 – Car parks on Campbell Parade on Bondi Beach.^[94]

18:47 – The attack begins. It is to last for seven minutes.^[100] First call to emergency services.^[101][102]

18:57 – New South Wales Police release a statement confirming that an incident is being responded to, and urge the public to avoid the area.^[103]

19:00–19:15 – Numerous helicopters and sirens, much louder than usual.^[102]

19:08 – Ambulance crew arrive within ten minutes (ultimately more than 123 personnel). 24 patients are transported to hospital; 14 deceased are attended to. Two of the hospitalized later die. A total of 42 people present themselves at hospital.^{[failed verification][104]}

TBD – Drone footage of the two gunmen on the footbridge.^[105] A 17-second clip (provenance unknown, released by the BBC, either from the same video or another) shows one gunman. Other video released by the BBC (again either from the same video another) shows both gunmen.^{[citation needed]} (It also releases a 21-second minute-by-minute account which includes yet more video of the attack, as well as its immediate aftermath.)^[106]

TBD – A nearly continuous 11-minute video shot from some 50 m away begins with one gunman on the pedestrian bridge between Campbell Parade and Archer Park; both begin sustained fire. A police car passes within the first 22 seconds of footage; slightly more than four minutes later, first fire from police targeting the gunmen begins. Approximately 30 seconds later the gunman wearing white trousers is hit and collapses; the second is felled about a minute later.^[107] The BBC releases a 23-second clip (of the same or another video) from the car park of both men firing; police sirens can be heard.^[108]

21:36 – New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon officially declares a terrorist attack.^[109][102]

19:39^[100] – Properties at the Sydney suburbs of Campsie and Bonnyrigg are searched by police overnight; a man and a woman are taken into custody at the latter.^[104] The two gunmen had lived at Bonnyrigg, in Western Sydney^[110] and had stayed in an AirBNB rental^[111] in Campsie^[112] for two days before the attack.

The police search the Akrams' hotel room and found a 3D printed "speed loader", used to upgrade a shotgun.^[113]

06:15 – The number of deaths is now given as 16 (including the elder gunman); 42 people are still in hospital.^[100]

07:56 – It is revealed that two Islamic State flags were found in the gunmens' car.^[94]

17:36 – The alleged gunmen are identified; they are believed by counter-terrorist officials to have had proclaimed allegiance to the Islamic State.^[100]

• Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett says that "Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State".^[114]
• Incitement circulated on line for a retaliatory "bashing day" focused on Cronulla, a beach near Bondi that was the epicenter of a previous anti-Arab and anti-Muslim race riot in 2005.^{[115][116][117]} Targeting "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, who live mostly in Western Sydney.^{[118][119][120][121]}
• Protests were prohibited to prevent escalation of violence. In response to the "bashing day" calls for retaliatory mass violence, public assemblies were prohibited across the entire Sydney metro area for 14 days.^[116]
• Police presence was increased in Bondi, Cronulla, and surrounding areas.

• 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.^[122][123] Additional charges included discharging firearm to cause grievous bodily harm, public display of prohibited terrorist symbol, and placing an explosive with intent to cause harm.^[124]

• 18 December 2025 – Islamic State telegram and online newspaper endorsed the attack in Bondi but did not claim to have played a direct role in the attack.^[125][126]

• 22 December 2025 – Naveed was moved from Royal North Shore Hospital to Long Bay Correctional Centre.^[127]

• 23 December 2025 – The following day, a suppression order was lifted allowing more details to be released.^[128]
• 24 December – Twelve victims remain in hospital, with five in a critical but stable condition.^[129]
• 24 December 2025 - Twelve victims remain in hospital, with five in a critical but stable condition.^[129]
• 31 December 2025 - During the 2025-26 Sydney New Year's Eve event, images of doves and the word "Peace" were projected on the bridge pylons at 9 p.m., and a moment of silence was observed at 11 p.m., during which the bridge was illuminated in white, and attendees were encouraged to shine lights as a show of unity for Australia's Jewish community.^[130]

• 5 January 2026 – Naveed Akram was transferred to Goulburn Correctional Centre, a supermax prison.^[131]

This section includes a list of general references but lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help improve this section by introducing more precise citations. (January 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Attack timeline[132][133][134][135][136]
Time	Event
5:00 p.m.	Start of Chanukah by the Sea 2025
6:40 p.m.	The gunmen park their car on Campbell Parade
6:40 p.m.	The gunmen are confronted by a couple and the couple are killed
6:42 p.m.	The gunmen begin firing at the crowd from a footbridge
6:48 p.m.	The older gunman walks down the footbridge towards the park
6:48 p.m.	A bystander disarms the gunman in the park
6:49 p.m.	The older gunman walks back to the footbridge and picks up another rifle
6:49 p.m.	Police begin firing back at the gunmen
6:50 p.m.	The older gunman is shot and falls to the ground
6:51 p.m.	The younger gunman is shot and falls to the ground
6:57 p.m.	Police release a statement confirming that an incident is being responded to, and urge the public to avoid the area
7:08 p.m.	Ambulances arrive to the scene
7:14 p.m.	Police release a statement saying they are still responding and urged the public to take shelter
7:37 p.m.	Police announce that two people from the beach attack are in custody
8:00 p.m.	Police raid the home of the suspects
9:36 p.m.	The state police commissioner declares it a terrorist attack
10:13 p.m.	Police disarm bombs in the suspects' car

Sources from Australia described the event in very precise terminology as the most deadly terrorist attack "on Australian soil".^[137][138] The most deadly terrorist attacks in Australian history were in neighbouring countries.

Event type	Australia	Most deadly event	Deaths	Country	Year
Terrorist attack	in Australia	2025 Bondi Beach attack, targeting Jewish Australians at Hanukkah celebrations at Bondi Beach	15 victims + 1 gunman	Australia	2025
First deadly attack	targeting Jews in Australia
Mass shooting	committed by an Australian	2019 Christchurch shooting, at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch	51 victims, commemorated as martyrs (shuhada)[139]	New Zealand	2019
Terrorist attack
Antisemitic terrorism[a]
Terrorist attack	targeting Australians	2002 Bali bombings, targeting Australian tourists in Bali	202 people, including 88 Australians	Indonesia	2002
Mass shooting	in Australia	1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania	35 victims	Australia	1996
Hate crime	in Sydney	Gay gang murders, thrown from cliffs 1km South of Bondi Beach or killed nearby.	80 or more men who were gay or perceived as gay	Australia	1970 to 2010
War crime	by Australians (ANZACs)	1918 Surafend massacre, during the Sinai and Palestine campaign	40 or more Arab civilians	Ottoman Empire	1918

• AUKUS and Five Eyes
• Brussels Islamic State terror cell
• Australian war crimes
• Battle of Brisbane
• Coalition of the willing (Iraq War)
• Demographics of Sydney
• Far-right terrorism in Australia
• History of the Islamic State
• History of Sydney
• Mass media use by the Islamic State
• Religion in Australia
• Terrorism in Australia
• Timeline of the Islamic State (2025)
• Timeline of the Islamic State
• War against the Islamic State

• Hoffman, Bruce (17 December 2025). "The Bondi Beach Shooting Shows ISIS Threat in Australia and Beyond". www.cfr.org. Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 8 January 2026.
• Khalil, Lydia. "What we know about the Bondi attack". www.lowyinstitute.org. Lowy Institute.

• "Timeline". www.barrons.com. Barrons.