Weeks Of Planning, Reconnaissance: How Bondi Beach Attackers Set Their Deadly Plot In Motion | World News
Bondi Beach Attack: Court documents filed in Australia have revealed chilling details about the preparations behind the Bondi Beach attack. Investigators learned that the attackers had spent weeks practicing their marksmanship beforehand. On December 14, during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, two gunmen opened fire, killing 15 people and wounding many others.
Court documents show the attackers used several explosives, including what were described as “tennis ball bombs,” and they failed to detonate.
One of the gunmen, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, faces 59 charges, including 15 murders and one terrorism-related offence. The second was his father, Sajid Akram, who was killed on the spot when the police returned fire.
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Authorities say the duo had meticulously planned the attack for months. They went to Bondi Beach two days before the shoot to scout and complete their preparations.
The investigation revealed that the attack was intentional.
Preparation
Police released screenshots showing Naveed practicing his targeting, indicating extensive rehearsal for the attack. Temporary restrictions had prevented the publication of police information sheets intended to protect the identities of victims, but these were lifted with minor changes on Monday 22 December.
The documents include videos and images tracking the suspects’ movements in the months, days and hours before the attack. A video captured from one of their cellphones in October showed them sitting in front of an Islamic State flag. In the clip, Naveed is seen reciting a verse from the Holy Quran.
Another video from October reportedly shows the father and son undergoing firearms training in a rural area believed to be in New South Wales. Investigators claimed that they used a shotgun in the footage.
CCTV Footage on the Day of the Attack
CCTV footage from the evening of December 12 showed two men, believed to be a father-son duo, near their car near Bondi Beach. In the documents, “The defendant and his father S. Akram were seen leaving their vehicles and walking on the pedestrian bridge. This is the same place they reached two days later to open fire on the people.”
Police claim that the images indicate preparations for a terrorist act. At around 2am on the morning of the attack, men were captured on CCTV carrying long, heavy objects wrapped in blankets from a rented house in Campsie. Investigators claimed that two single-barreled shotguns, a Beretta rifle, four improvised explosive devices and two ISIS flags were found inside.
Later the same day, they left home at around 17:00 local time and arrived in Bondi at 18:50. CCTV showed them placing flags on the windshield and rear windows of their cars, then taking out firearms and IEDs before driving towards the footbridge.
Police believe this is where they threw three pipe bombs and a tennis ball bomb into the crowd; None of these exploded.
Shortly after, fire was opened on the surrounding people. Fourteen people were killed instantly and another died from injuries later in hospital. Sajid was killed and Naveed was seriously injured in the exchange of fire with the police. He was later discharged from the hospital and taken into custody.
Aftermath and Policy Response
The attack triggered demands across Australia for stricter gun control and measures to protect Jewish communities from rising anti-Semitic sentiment. In response, the New South Wales state parliament reconvened to debate a series of proposed laws regulating firearms and public protest.
Some human rights organizations and gun rights advocates have expressed concern that the new laws could impose unreasonable restrictions. Premier Chris Minns acknowledged that while some may see the measures as excessive, they are necessary to ensure community safety.
