Bondi Beach gunmen had bombs, ISIS flags and foreign links, police say

The father and son who opened fire on families during a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach packed their vehicle with improvised explosives and homemade ISIS flags, Australian authorities said on Tuesday, deepening fears that the massacre was part of a broader attack plan than initially believed.

During a press conference, investigators described the father-son gunmen, aged 24 and 50, as “cowards” who hunted down Australian Jews in “broad daylight”. Fifteen people were killed and more than two dozen others were injured in the shootings, which police officially described as an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack.

New South Wales Police confirmed IEDs and two homemade ISIS flags were found in the teenage attacker’s vehicle; authorities said the evidence pointed directly to extremist inspirations and an intent to carry out a larger, coordinated attack. Forensic teams are continuing ballistic and chemical examinations of the items.

“This was a barbaric attack on Australian Jews,” Australian federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett said. “They hunted in broad daylight.”

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Authorities said they were still working to determine whether the devices were functional or aimed at secondary targets.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett, NSW Premier Chris Minns, Australian Premier Anthony Albanese, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon, Police and Counter-Terrorism Minister Yasmin Catley attend a press conference during a visit to NSW Police headquarters following the fatal shooting incident during a Jewish holiday celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on 16 December 2025. (REUTERS/Hollie Adams)

New South Wales State Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the suspects went to the Philippines last month. Lanyon said the reasons for these people’s travel and where they went in the Philippines will be examined by investigators.

The region has long been home to ISIS-affiliated networks. Muslim separatist militant groups in the southern Philippines, including Abu Sayyaf, once expressed support for ISIS and have in the past hosted small numbers of foreign militant fighters from Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

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But decades of military offensives have significantly weakened Abu Sayyaf and other armed groups, and Philippine military and police officials say there is no sign of any recent foreign militant presence in the south of the country.

A woman kneels and prays at a floral memorial to the shooting victims outside the Bondi Pavilion on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Monday, December 15, 2025, a day after the shooting. (Mark Baker/AP Photo)

Authorities said there was currently no evidence that other attackers or facilitators were involved in Sunday’s massacre, but officials warned that assessment could change as investigators examine digital devices, travel records and thousands of seized documents.

Tuesday marked the first time authorities confirmed their beliefs about the suspects’ ideology.

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More than two dozen people, ages 10 to 87, are still being treated in hospitals following Sunday’s massacre. 10 of these patients, 3 of whom are hospitalized in a children’s hospital, are in critical condition.

Among the injured was Ahmed al-Ahmad, a 42-year-old Syrian-born fruit shop owner, who was caught on video capturing and neutralizing one of the attackers, then pointing the man’s gun at him and dropping him to the ground. He underwent surgery on Wednesday for shotgun wounds to his left shoulder and upper body.

People gather around a memorial for the shooting victims outside the Bondi Pavilion on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Monday, December 15, 2025, a day after the shooting. (Mark Baker/AP Photo)

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who had previously met Ahmed, hailed him as “a true Australian hero”.

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Albanese said, “We are a brave country. Ahmed al Ahmed represents the best of our country. We will not allow this country to be divided. This is what the terrorists want. We will unite. We will embrace each other and we will get through this.” he added.

NSW Premier Chris Minns and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attend a press conference at NSW Police headquarters following the fatal shooting during a Jewish holiday celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on December 16, 2025. (REUTERS/Hollie Adams)

The elderly attacker was shot and killed on Tuesday while his son was being treated in hospital.

Albanese and leaders of several Australian states have vowed to further tighten the country’s already strict gun laws in what would be the most sweeping reforms since a shooter killed 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania, in 1996. Mass shootings have been rare in Australia since then.

Authorities released more information on the third day following the attack, amid growing public questions and anger about how the suspects were able to plan and carry out the attack and whether Australian Jews were adequately protected from rising antisemitism.

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Albanese announced plans to further restrict access to guns, in part because it was revealed that the elderly suspect had legally amassed a stash of six guns.

“Suspected killers who were callous when it came to coordinating the attack appear to have no regard for the age or abilities of their victims,” ​​Barrett said. “The alleged killers appear to be only interested in seeking a death tally.”