Australia’s worst mass shooting in three decades has left the country reeling in shock over the carnage and devastation that has forever transformed the nation’s most famous beach. 

Fifteen civilians were killed and another 42 people injured when Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son Naveed allegedly opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on the evening of December 14. 

As heartbreaking images of the massacre spread around the globe, many were left wondering how such a horrific act of gun violence was able to take place in a country famously known and well-regarded for its strict firearm regulations. 

But as authorities scramble to piece together the histories of the accused gunmen, family, friends, and others who have crossed their paths all say they are flabbergasted by their alleged crimes. 

After the attack, Naveed’s mother Venera described her son as a ‘good boy’ who would be the envy of other parents as he ‘doesn’t drink, smoke, or go to bad places’ and ‘works, comes home, and exercises, and that’s it’. 

Meanwhile, former schoolmates recalled Naveed as a ‘quiet’ but ‘super nice’ student who had a small group of friends and ‘never got into trouble’, with similar sentiments echoed by old gym buddies.

But police will allege Naveed and his father led a double life as they secretly concocted a shocking terror plot – pledging allegiance to IS, undergoing gun training, then hiding themselves away in a rental apartment to make explosive devices. 

Here, the Daily Mail looks at what we do know about the men’s transition from unsuspecting members of the community to the alleged radical IS shooters behind the country’s biggest terror attack.

Naveed Akram, 24, (pictured) allegedly orchestrated and carried out a terror attack with his father

Sajid Akram, a 50-year-old father from Sydney’s west, was gunned down by police at the scene

1975-1997:

Sajid Akram was born in India in 1975. He grew up in the southern city of Hyderabad, a bustling technology and pharmaceutical hub in the state of Telangana.

After finishing school, Akram remained in his home city and attained a degree in commerce. 

Indian police said there was no ‘adverse record’ of Sajid during his time in India before he migrated overseas.

1998:

Sajid Akram entered Australia on a student visa in November, 1998. It is unclear what he was studying or where. 

From this point up until the shooting, Sajid returned to India six times for family-related matters, including visiting his parents and attending to property matters.

2000: 

Pictured: Hyderabad, in south India, where Sajid grew up before moving to Australia in 1998

Property records indicate Sajid and his partner Venera were living in a one-bedroom unit in Lakemba, in Sydney’s southwest, in January 2000. 

While details are scant, it is believed Sajid and Venera, whose family is of Italian heritage, had married some time prior as both were listed under the surname Akram.

2001:

Sajid transitioned to a partner visa. Naveed was born in August of this year.

2002:

The Akrams purchased a three-bedroom home in Cabramatta West in May, 2002 for $228,000.

Of the few former neighbours who remain in the area, none spoken to by the Daily Mail recall the family.

2003:

Sajid and Venera welcomed their second child, a daughter. 

2005:

Sajid and Venera welcomed their third child, a son.

2008: 

Naveed started kindergarten. A school photo indicated that he attended Strathfield South Public School during his primary years. 

A yearbook photo shows Naveed during his time in primary school

2014:

Naveed started Year 7 at Cabramatta High School. 

A photo obtained by the Daily Mail shows him smiling as he posed alongside friends in his burgundy uniform. 

Former peers described him as a ‘really nice, smart and polite kid’ and ‘the last person you would expect’ to allegedly be involved in such a horrific event. 

‘He was a very nice person. He never did anything unusual. He was never in trouble,’ one former schoolmate told Daily Mail.

‘We played basketball until about 5pm most days and then he would just make his way home.’

Another old classmate said: ‘He was just normal. Nice. Quiet. We were never friends, but spoke in passing. Same classes, same teachers, sat near each other. [It is] so crazy.’ 

Naveed has been described as a ‘quiet loner’ with only a small group of friends during his time in high school

Pictured: The Akram family home in Bonnyrigg, in Sydney’s west

2015:

Sajid applied for a gun licence, but was knocked back after failing to submit an appropriate picture. 

2016: 

Sajid registered an ABN as a sole trader in April with the primary business location listed as the postcode for Cabramatta West.  

In August, the Akrams sold their Cabramatta West home and purchased a new three-bedroom property in Bonnyrigg for $700,000. 

2016-2017:

Naveed dropped out of school sometime around Year 10 or Year 11, according to former peers. 

July 2019:

Naveed, then 17, was videoed preaching Islam to schoolboys at Bankstown train station. 

In the clip, he discussed the pillars of his religion and urged members of the public to make time for prayer.

‘We have to remember to always pray and fulfil our obligation to Allah, because this is a right that Allah gave us all our limbs – our hands, our eyes, our nose – and if we don’t pray and obey him we are stealing from Allah, we are stealing his right,’ he said.

‘Law of Allah is that we obey him and whatever he says we do.

‘You might think “I am busy, I have to do this”, but it is more important than anything you have to do – work, school.

‘If you are busy at work or school, on your break time, go find somewhere and go and pray.’

In one of the videos, Naveed mentioned he was a student at TAFE. It is unclear what course he was studying.

Naveed is pictured discussing his Islamic beliefs with members of the public in a video filmed in July 2019

Pictured: IS terrorist Isaac El Matari

October 2019:

Naveed was investigated by ASIO over his association with IS terrorist Isaac El Matari.

El Matari, 26, was arrested in July 2019 for being a member of Islamic State and planning a terrorist act. 

El Matari was sentenced to seven years and four months in jail in 2021 after pleading guilty to doing an act in preparation for a terrorist act and preparing to enter Afghanistan for the purpose of hostile activity.

The investigation also discovered Naveed was a follower of controversial pro-Islamic State preacher, Wasim Haddad. 

Mr Haddad is a religious leader with longstanding ties to Australian terrorists and foreign jihadist leaders.

ASIO has watched him for years but he has never been charged with a terrorism offence. 

The six-month-long probe ultimately ruled that Naveed didn’t appear to pose an ongoing threat. 

In a statement provided by his lawyer in the wake of the shooting, Mr Haddad told the ABC he ‘vehemently denies any knowledge of or involvement in the shootings that took place at Bondi Beach’.

A photo of Naveed Akram’s wallet shows he had possessed a membership card for a hunting association

2020: 

From around this time, Naveed was known to be working on construction sites across Sydney. 

Sajid submitted an application for a gun licence again. 

Since the shooting, authorities have revealed Sajid was a member of a gun club, and a member’s card for Zavasta Hunting Association was allegedly found in Naveed’s wallet at Bondi Beach on December 14.

The Serbian president of the club revealed the last time he interacted with Naveed was around 2020. 

It is unclear how many interactions Naveed had with the club prior to 2020.  

‘That man hasn’t come to us for more than five years, I don’t remember, nor do I remember his face,’ the ZHA president told Serbian media this week.

‘He had our membership card, but we don’t issue gun licences. 

‘The permit is obtained through the police, we are not authorised persons, we only conduct training. We treated him like any client.’

2022:

Naveed received a certificate from the Al-Murad Institute in February after completing his IQRA books, a series of guides that assist in mastering the rules of proper pronunciation and recitation of the Quran.

The owner of the institute said the school only teaches people how to read the Quran and his last contact with Naveed was in early 2022.

Naveed is pictured holding his IQRA Books Completion Certificate 

2023:

Sajid’s 2020 gun licence application was approved, allowing him to legally own six powerful rifles.

2024:

In February, the Akrams’ Bonnyrigg home was transferred solely into Venera’s name. 

Two months later, Sajid changed the main business location for his ABN to the postcode for Bonnyrigg. He also registered for GST, meaning he was earning more than $75,000 a year. 

Meanwhile, Naveed attended training classes at Hit Gym in Liverpool.

‘I’m shocked,’ a gym attendee, who trained with Naveed, told the Daily Mail this week.

‘He was actually very kind and polite/helpful. 

‘From what I saw, he was a good person.’ 

October 2025 :

Naveed was let go from his bricklaying job after the company went bust, according to his mother. 

A former colleague who worked with him on construction sites over the past five years said he was a bit of a loner. 

‘He was sort of a pretty quiet bloke. Kept to himself. Fairly polite, respectful. Had his views, but never pushed anything on anyone,’ he said. 

‘I think he was born Christian and then I think his old man turned (to Islam).

‘One of the last things that he said to one of the boys was he wanted to be remembered.’

November 2025:

Pictured: Davao City, in the southern Philippines 

Sajid and Naveed travelled from Sydney to the Philippines on November 1. 

The father used his Indian passport, while the son travelled on an Australian one. 

The exact locations they visited remain under investigation, but the Philippines Bureau of Immigration has since confirmed the pair reported their final destination as Davao, a popular tourist city on the southern island of Mindanao.

Mindanao has been associated with the Islamic State for the past 10 years, when various local extremist groups in the southern Philippines began pledging allegiance to the terror organisation. 

Since 2019, IS has made the Southeast Asian nation a hotspot for training extremists in the wake of its defeat in Syria. 

Counter-terrorism officials said the pair allegedly underwent military-style training during their trip to the region.  

Sajid and Naveed returned to Australia on a flight from Manila to Sydney on November 28 – just two weeks before the shooting. 

December 12-13, 2025 

Sajid and Naveed rented out an apartment in Campsie, in Sydney’s southwest in the days leading up to the alleged terror attack. 

Their family allegedly thought the pair were on a fishing trip in Jervis Bay, on the NSW south coast.

Police are pictured at the Campsie rental during raids on the property following the attack

December 14, 2025

Naveed spoke to his mother over the phone to update her on their alleged fishing trip. 

He reportedly told her he had been swimming and scuba diving, gone for food, and they would spend the rest of the day in their accommodation because it was hot.

Later that evening, the father and son left their rental apartment in Campsie and allegedly travelled to Bondi with military-grade weapons and explosives.

They stop the car, which contains two IS flags, on Campbell Parade in Bondi Beach and allegedly jump out with firearms.

Just moments after their arrival, they allegedly claimed the lives of their first two victims, Boris and Sofia Gurman, as the heroic couple tried to seize Sajid’s weapon from him.

The alleged gunmen then ran over to a nearby footbridge and opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah event taking place on the beach.

Families and beachgoers ran for their lives while others dropped to the ground, using their bodies to cover children.

At one point, Sajid left the footbridge and walked closer to the crowd, before he was tackled and disarmed by tobacconist owner Ahmed Al-Ahmed. 

Another hero, Rueven Morrison, began throwing bricks at Sajid as he made his way back to the bridge.

His son allegedly covered him by spraying bullets at them, fatally injuring Mr Morrison and leaving Mr Al-Ahmed with wounds to his shoulder and hand. 

Police who arrived at the scene were also allegedly peppered with bullets before a detective managed to successfully shoot the alleged gunmen.

Sajid died at the scene while Naveed suffered critical injuries and was taken to hospital.

Officers working at the scene to attempt to get the situation under control after Sajid was shot

Emergency workers are seen attending to an injured person as crowds struggle to process the shooting 

The Aftermath 

Police carried out raids across Sydney in the wake of the attack, including at the father and son’s Bonnyrigg home and the Campsie property.

Police allege a further two guns were found at the rental, aside from IEDs and four firearms recovered at the scene at Bondi Beach.

A video with IS-style propaganda was also allegedly found inside the Campsie property.  

After waking from a coma, Naveed was charged on Wednesday with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder.

He also faces one count of committing a terrorist act, one count of discharging a firearm in public, one count of causing a public display of a prohibited terrorist symbol, and one count of placing an explosive in or near a building with intent to cause harm. 

His alleged deceased victims include Peter Meagher, 61, Alex Kleytman, 87, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, 39, Reuven Morrison, 62, Matilda, 10, Tibor Weitzen, 78, Marika Pogany, 82, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, and Dan Elkavam, 27, Edith Brutman, 68, and Boris Tetleroyd.

Dozens of others were allegedly hospitalised with various injuries after the attack, including two police officers who were among the first responders to the scene. 

Candles, photos, flowers, and toys are seen at the memorial site for the Bondi massacre victims

Naveed’s matter was heard in court on Wednesday afternoon. 

He did not apply for bail and will next face court on April 8 next year. 

As the investigation continues, authorities are still delving into the backgrounds of the alleged gunmen.

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said Sajid was believed to be on a resident return visa (RRV) at the time of the shooting. 

‘They have [had] obviously a connection for quite a period of time within Australia,’ Mr Lanyon said earlier this week.

‘We are very much working through the background of both persons.

‘At this stage, we know very little about them.’

Indian police have also revealed Sajid’s family were unaware of any alleged radicalisation. 

‘The family members have expressed no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his radicalisation,’ they said in a  statement.

‘The factors that led to the radicalisation of Sajid Akram … appear to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana.’

Fifteen innocent people died while countless others were injured

Meanwhile, many stories of heroism have emerged from the tragedy, including tales of people using their bodies as shields to protect young children and brave civilians facing injury and death while disarming Sajid.  

Thousands of people have descended on the beach over the past week to pay tribute to the victims, with a sea of flowers forming a memorial at Bondi Pavilion. 

Eerie photos show belongings lined up along the beach waiting to be collected by Sydneysiders after they were left abandoned on Sunday night as people ran for their lives. 

The massacre has also sparked urgent calls for an overhaul to gun regulations, amid revelations some registered firearm owners in Australia possess hundreds of weapons.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he will push for tougher gun laws in the wake of the tragedy. 

‘People’s circumstances can change. People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licences should not be in perpetuity,’ he said earlier this week. 

‘If we need to toughen these up, if there’s anything that we can do, I’m certainly up for it.’ 

NSW Premier Chris Minns has announced his support to tighten gun licensing laws, aiming to stop the public from accessing what he describes as ‘weapons of mass destruction’ following the tragic Bondi Beach shooting. 

‘If you’re not a farmer, if you’re not involved in agriculture, why do you need these massive weapons that put the public in danger and make life dangerous and difficult for NSW Police?’ he said.

‘We need to make sure the firearms legislation in NSW is fit for purpose.

‘That does mean restricting firearms for the general public, for the people of NSW, but not everybody needs these weapons of mass destruction.

‘You don’t need them on NSW streets.’