Bondi gunmen used guns in countryside, conducted 'reconnaissance', police allege

Court documents released to the media on Monday detail fresh allegations about the lead-up to the Bondi Beach terror attack.

Sajid allegedly pictured with a shotgun in the countryside. Source: Supplied / NSW Courts

Police allege the Bondi Beach gunmen fired weapons in the NSW countryside and conducted a "reconnaissance" mission two days before the mass shooting, in court documents released today.

Fresh allegations about father and son Sajid, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, who allegedly killed 15 people in a terror attack on the iconic Sydney beach on 14 December, are detailed in documents released by Downing Street Local Court to the media.

In the court documents, police allege the pair "targeted members of the public gathered at the Jewish religious event 'Chanukah by the Sea 2025'", throwing homemade bombs in addition to firing into the crowd.

Naveed, who survived being shot by police, was charged with 59 offences, including one count of committing a terrorist act, 15 counts of murder and 41 counts of attempted murder.

His father, Sajid, was shot dead by police.

Last week, a court imposed an interim suppression order on the statement of alleged police facts, but new orders issued on Monday have allowed a redacted version of the document to be made public.

Pair allegedly pictured with firearms in countryside

The statement of alleged police facts includes photographs of the men wearing "black tee-shirts" and allegedly using weapons in the countryside in the months before the attack.

The material was found on Naveed's mobile phone, the documents allege.

"A video recorded in late October 2025 depicts [Naveed] and his father conducting firearms training in a countryside location, suspected to be in NSW," court documents state.

Naveed Akram allegedly pictured with a firearm in a paddock. Source: Supplied / NSW Courts

"The accused and his father are seen throughout the video firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner."

Another video allegedly shows the men seated before an image of a self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) flag, with four long-arm firearms also visible, resting against the wood-panelled wall behind them.

Sajid and Naveed Akram allegedly captured on CCTV leaving an address in Campsie carrying items wrapped in blankets at 2.14am on 14 December. Source: Supplied / NSW Courts

In the footage, Naveed is "recorded appearing to recite, in Arabic, a passage from the Quran", court documents state.

Following the recitation, the court documents allege: "Both the accused and [his father] speak in English and make a number of statements regarding their motivation for the Bondi attack and condemning the acts of 'Zionists'."

'Reconnaissance' run

The pair were also allegedly seen on CCTV in the Bondi Beach area two days before the attack, driving near Archer Park — the site of the shooting — between 9:20pm and 10pm on 12 December.

CCTV allegedly showing the pair's car in the Bondi Beach area two days before the attack. Source: Supplied / NSW Courts

"The accused [Naveed] and his father, [Sajid] are seen to exit the vehicle and walk along the footbridge," court documents state.

Their positioning on the Campbell Parade footbridge is said to be consistent with "where they attended two days later and shot at members of the public", the court documents state.

CCTV allegedly showing the pair in Bondi two days before the attack. Source: Supplied / NSW Courts

"Police allege that this is evidence of reconnaissance and planning of a terrorist act," the documents state.

Islamic State flags placed in windows, bombs thrown

When the men allegedly arrived at Bondi on the evening of 14 December, police allege they placed IS flags — prohibited under federal law — in the front and rear windows of their car which were "clearly visible to the public".

Homemade pipe bombs allegedly found at the scene. Source: Supplied / NSW Courts

They allegedly took three guns, three pipe bombs and a tennis ball bomb from the car and moved towards a footbridge.

"Investigators believe the three pipe bombs and tennis ball bomb were thrown towards the crowd of people in Archer Park," the court documents state, although police say it is unclear which of the pair threw the improvised explosive devices.

Preliminary analysis suggests the pipe bombs were created with "sealed aluminium piping containing explosive, black powder and steel ball bearings", court documents state.

Homemade bombs allegedly found in the boot of the vehicle. Source: Supplied / NSW Courts

Police allege the bombs did not detonate but were "viable".

A short time later, the men began shooting in the direction of the crowd gathered within Archer Park and the surrounding area, the court documents state — killing 14 people at the scene, with another victim later dying from their injuries.

The documents were released after lawyers acting for media outlets successfully argued in court for the removal of an order preventing their release.

Akram was transferred to a correctional facility from hospital on Monday.

He will return to court in February.

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