Bondi Beach shooters motivated by Islamic State ideology, Prime Minister says

The two suspects who authorities say carried out Australia’s worst mass shooting in three decades were motivated by ideology associated with the Islamic State, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday.

At least 15 people were killed and dozens wounded in the massacre Sunday at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, which targeted a Jewish gathering in a park near the iconic surf spot, where hundreds were celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.

The attack was carried out by two men, identified by Australian public broadcaster ABC and other domestic media as Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, a father and son. The elder man was killed in an exchange of fire with police Sunday night, while his son was critically injured and remains in hospital.

Police said Monday that the younger man will face criminal charges in relation to the attack. He was previously investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) in 2019, in connection, the ABC reported, with the arrest of Isaac El Matari, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terror group.

Mr. El Matari was convicted in 2021 of plotting an attack in Australia, though the judge in his case said the plans mainly “involved a lot of talking” and did not constitute a direct threat.

Speaking to the ABC on Tuesday, Mr. Albanese said preliminary investigations showed Sunday’s attack was “motivated by Islamic State ideology.”

“The ideology that has been around for more than a decade that led to this ideology of hate, and in this case, a preparedness to engage in mass murder,” he said.

Regarding the 2019 probe, Mr. Albanese said whether Mr. Akram “was radicalized further after that, what the circumstances are, that’s the subject of further investigation.”

Anti-terror police raided the Akram family home in Bonnyrigg, in the southwest Sydney suburbs, as well as a rental property in Campsie where the attackers had been staying, closer to the city centre. Neighbours in Bonnyrigg expressed shock, saying they appeared to be a normal family.

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The ABC reported that an Islamic State flag was found in the men’s car at Bondi Beach, which had been loaded with explosives and was neutralized by police late Sunday night.

At its height, the Islamic State controlled a huge swath of territory across Syria and Iraq, and planned and inspired terrorist massacres in multiple countries. Though a shadow of its former strength today, the group remains dangerous, with affiliates such as Afghanistan-based IS-Khorasan claiming responsibility for attacks in Iran, Pakistan and Russia.

Since the genesis of IS, with its savvy media arm aggressively spreading propaganda online seeking to radicalize and recruit, attackers have claimed links to the group – and its leaders have taken credit for their actions – even when there is little evidence of communication or co-ordination. Terrorism and extremism experts have cautioned about linking such attacks to IS, saying this risks boosting the group’s propaganda and claims of influence.

As part of their investigation, police seized six weapons owned by the elder Akram, who officials said had held a firearms licence since 2015.

Australia already has some of the toughest gun laws in the world, a legacy of the Port Arthur massacre of 1996, when a gunman murdered 35 people, though the number of firearms in private ownership has increased in recent years.

That Sajid acquired the weapons legally immediately prompted calls to further tighten legislation, with New South Wales Premier Chris Minns saying there was no reason for most people to have “these horrifying weapons.”

Mr. Albanese told reporters on Sunday that he will introduce national legislation to put new limits on the number of guns that can be owned by any individual, introduce a review of licences over time and strengthen existing checks and balances.

“We will do whatever is necessary,” he said.

Many in Australia’s Jewish community said they have long warned of growing antisemitism in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel, though few ever expected such an explosion of violence as was seen Sunday.

Jillian Segal, Australia’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, said in a statement that the attack marked “the worst fear of the Australian Jewish community becoming reality.”

“To ordinary Australians, this moment demands clarity. What once seemed distant or uncomfortable can no longer be ignored,” she said.

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David Slucki, director of the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation at Monash University, told ABC Radio that Sunday’s attack “was kind of beyond my wildest imagination.”

“Just the extent of the violence, the chaos, how clinical it seems to have been,” he said. “I wouldn’t lie if I said that the idea of walking to a synagogue on Saturday, it makes me think a little differently about that, and congregating, and gathering. I think a lot of us feel like that right now.”

Jewish groups went ahead with Hanukkah events Monday in several Australian cities, while Sydneysiders held an impromptu memorial at the site of the massacre.

One of those killed Sunday was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who organized the “Hanukkah by the Sea” celebration at Bondi. Speaking to the media arm of Jewish organization Chabad last year, he said attendance at the annual event had increased since 2023, despite growing incidents of antisemitism.

His advice at the time to those scared of a climate that felt increasingly hostile was to “be more Jewish, act more Jewish and appear more Jewish.”

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Also among the dead Sunday were a 10-year-old girl and a Holocaust survivor, identified by Chabad as Alex Kleytman, who it said was “killed while shielding his wife from the gunfire.”

At least 40 people were hospitalized in the attack, including a man who has quickly become an Australian national hero: 43-year-old fruit shop owner Ahmed el Ahmed.

Dramatic video showed Mr. el Ahmed, a father of two, creeping up on and then tackling one of the gunmen, wrestling his weapon from his arms, even as he came under fire from the other attacker. A donation page set up for Mr. el Ahmed has already attracted pledges of more than $1-million, as he continues to undergo surgery for his injuries.