The death toll from the horrific terrorist attack at Bondi Beach has tragically risen to 16, including one of the gunmen, following the mass shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sunday evening.
Australian authorities confirmed today that the two assailants responsible for the attack were a father and son who used licensed firearms in the assault.
The new figures and details released by New South Wales (NSW) Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon and state officials reveal the full scale of the tragedy.
Additionally, the 16 confirmed dead include 15 civilian victims (who ranged in age from 10 to 87). One of them is a British-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a Holocaust survivor, a 10-year-old child, and a French national.
Over 40 people remain hospitalized with gunshot wounds and other injuries, including two police officers who were first responders.
The attackers have been identified by local media as Sajid Akram, 50 (the father), and Naveed Akram, 24 (the son), from south-west Sydney.
| Suspect | Age/Status | Fate | Key Details |
| Sajid Akram (Father) | 50 years old | Killed by police at the scene. | Had been a licensed firearms holder for 10 years and had six licensed weapons registered to him, all of which were recovered. |
| Naveed Akram (Son) | 24 years old | Arrested; in critical condition in hospital under police guard. | Was previously known to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) about six years ago for alleged association with an extremist cell, but was not considered an immediate threat at the time. |
Police confirmed the recovery and safe removal of several IEDs from a vehicle linked to the assailants parked near the beach.
The attack has been officially declared an act of antisemitic terrorism. Reports indicate that two Islamic State (IS) flags were recovered during subsequent police raids, fueling the investigation into the attackers’ radicalization and possible connection to the IS group.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack as an “act of pure evil” that targeted the nation’s Jewish community, and he has pledged to review the country’s famously strict gun laws in the wake of this massacre, the deadliest in Australia since 1996.
