Bond

On 14 December 2025, an antisemitic Islamic State (IS)-inspired terrorist attack occurred at the Archer Park area of Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, during a celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah attended by around 1,000 people. Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram, allegedly shot dead 15 people, including 11 men, 3 women and a 10-year-old girl. Sajid (an Indian national and Australian permanent resident) was shot dead by police; his son Naveed (an Australian-born citizen) was treated for wounds at a local hospital and survived. Islamic State later claimed credit for the attack.
Naveed is now on remand in Goulburn Correctional Centre awaiting trial for 15 murders and 44 other offences. Over the course of the attack, five civilians confronted and attempted to stop the gunmen. Three were killed and one suffered gunshot wounds. Volunteer surf lifesavers and Waverley Council lifeguards rushed to the scene to provide first aid during the active shooting. Members of the New South Wales Police Force shot the two alleged gunmen, killing Sajid and critically injuring Naveed, who was detained. Forty people, including two police officers, were injured and taken to various hospitals in Sydney.
Numerous world leaders, news outlets and Australian authorities declared the shooting was motivated by antisemitism. The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the shooting was “deliberately targeted at the Jewish community on the first day of Chanukah”. The ongoing investigation by federal and New South Wales police forces is named “Operation Arques”. A federal royal commission will examine the circumstances surrounding the attack.
The Bondi shooting is the first fatal attack on Jews in Australia, the worst terrorist attack in Australia, and the deadliest mass shooting in Australia since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in which 35 people were killed. Mass casualty attacks are uncommon in Australia; the country enacted strict gun laws in response to the Port Arthur massacre. Following the Bondi Beach shooting, the National Cabinet unanimously agreed to further restrict gun laws and introduce a gun buyback program. The attack led to changes to federal hate speech laws and was marked by a national day of reflection and a national day of mourning. In New South Wales, the attack led to changes to terrorism and protest laws.