The alleged gunman is a 24-year-old from Bonnyrigg in Sydney's west. A second gunman died during the attack. Credit: Reddit/Supplied
This blog has now ended
The alleged gunman is a 24-year-old from Bonnyrigg in Sydney's west. A second gunman died during the attack. Credit: Reddit/Supplied
Published
Updated
Share this with family and friends
We conclude today's live coverage of the aftermath of the Bondi Beach terror attack with an update on the alleged gunman, who is still hospitalised.
Naveed Akram has regained consciousness, a NSW Police source has confirmed.
The 24-year-old had been in a coma and receiving critical care.
— Anna Henderson
NSW Health has confirmed that as of 4.30pm three patients from the Bondi Beach shooting remain in a critical condition, with five in "critical but stable" conditions.
"There are currently twenty-four patients receiving care," it said in an update.
"Patients continue to be discharged.
"Some patients who are discharged may return to hospital for further care, and are included in the number of patients reported below."
— Cameron Carr
At Australia's oldest synagogue in Hobart, Tasmania, floral tributes have been slowly piling up over the past two days.
President of the Hobart Hebrew Congregation, Peter Kirby, said when he arrived at the synagogue on Monday to see them, he felt "tremendously uplifted".
"We first of all had to move flowers out of the gate because the number of flowers there meant we couldn't even get in," he told SBS News.
"The most emotional part of the afternoon was being there and seeing little children come in and leave a flower.
"I'm really hopeful and uplifted by the fact parents are taking such an attitude to the events on Sunday afternoon and they're raising their children to be tolerant and respectful of all people in our multicultural society, as it should be."
Kirby said people have also been approaching him on the streets to express their condolences.
"As a progressive Jew, mostly I don't wear my kippah, my skull cap, it's not a tradition for progressives," he said.
"But at a time such as this, I feel it's important, very important to show who I am, I suppose it's a way to counteract what happened on Sunday, I'm proud to be Jewish."
Kirby said the community must not be deterred by Sunday's attack
"We can't be cowed by what happened on Sunday; we can't hide away; we have to come forward bravely and courageously, at this time especially, during Hanukkah.
"Sunday night, lighting the first candle after having seen the news and then having the blessings to say was an immense struggle."
— Kerrin Thomas
The Australian National Imams Council has issued a safety awareness notice, urging the Islamic community to "stay alert, look out for one another" and report any incidents of "anti-Muslim hate" to the Action Against Islamophobia portal for combating Islamophobia.
"Reporting helps protect our community and ensures incidents are taken seriously," the statement said.
"No incident is too small to report. Please share widely and stay safe."
— Gabrielle Katanasho
Waverley Council, the local government area that includes Bondi Beach, says it will commit $100,000 in "immediate and longer-term supports for the Jewish community" at a meeting on Tuesday evening.
This funding will go towards "public displays of mourning as well as practical and immediate efforts to aid healing and resilience," the council said in a statement.
"This recognises the immense impact of this despicable and barbaric attack on the Jewish Community," Waverley mayor Will Nemesh said.
Along with the funding, the council also intends to make a dedicated community space where affected members of the Jewish community can gather.
It will also fly flags on council buildings at half-mast for two week.
The council has also encouraged local residents to light a candle at 6.47 each night — the time the shooting started — for the remainder of the Hanukkah celebration in solidarity with the Jewish community and to honour the shooting victims.
— Cameron Carr
The Shooters Union of Australia has labelled the Bondi attack an act of terrorism rather than a failure of gun laws, accusing the Albanese government of diverting attention from what it says are failed policies on antisemitism.
National president of Shooters Union of Australia Graham Park said Australia already has some of the strictest gun controls in the world, and tightening them further would not prevent attacks.
"Every time there's an incident … you say, 'Oh, we need to tighten the gun laws'. Guess what? It doesn't work," he told SBS News.
"Limits on the number of firearms is a ridiculous idea that's been touted by some anti-gun extremists, but it does nothing … You can only use one at a time."
Meanwhile, Tim Quinn, president of Gun Control Australia, raised concerns that current laws allow some persons to own up to 300 firearms, calling for tighter licensing rules based on firearm category and intended use.
He said antisemitism remains a serious issue in Australia and urged stronger background checks, along with improved information sharing through a National Firearms Register to better flag risks to police.
"The registry has a responsibility to the public to keep us safe," he told SBS News.
"I think that any red flag that comes through, and that includes when we have the National Firearms Register that's coming in in the next few years, we should be having red flags that are pushing to jurisdictions so that police can understand that people are have a history, or possibly have a history."
— Gabrielle Katanasho and Briana Charles
NSW Premier Chris Minns has vowed to make the state's gun laws the "toughest" in the country as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Bondi hero Ahmed Al-Ahmed in hospital.
Here are some of today's key moments so far:
— Cameron Carr
Jacob Dorsett-Sawyer, who was walking back from a swim at Bondi when the first shots rung out at the other end of the beach, donated blood for the first time today.
"I heard the gunshots, the sirens, the panic ... I managed to get back safely to the house that I'd been at," he told SBS News while sitting with his sleeve rolled up in a Blood Bank donation chair.
"I really felt it in the aftermath — a sense of guilt, almost a sense of survivor's guilt in a way ... so much helplessness, so much sadness for everything that's happened and I got to thinking how I could do something practical to help out."
Australian Red Cross Lifeblood issued an emergency appeal for blood donations following the attack, particularly for O-negative blood — which can be used in life-saving emergency situations.
Dorsett-Sawyer is among thousands who have turned out to heed that call, some queuing for hours. Yesterday, he was turned away when the donation centre reached capacity.
"It was like a madhouse, seriously, it felt like you were at a rock concert," he said.
"After such a horrible impact to the community, to see people come together was amazing."
— Gabrielle Katanasho and Georgia Maher
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and new party recruit Barnaby Joyce visited the makeshift Bondi Pavilion memorial on Tuesday afternoon, drawing cheers from sections of the public.
The pair arrived with a floral tribute before being waylaid by a large crowd, which included supporters, media and right-wing activist Avi Yemeni, with chants including "we love you Pauline" and "make Australia great again, Barnaby" — the latter which prompted some boos.
Hanson said she had been "ridiculed for years" for calling out antisemitism and wanting to "stamp out hatred," while Joyce described the shooting as a "barbaric act of mass murder" and a potential "tipping point" for Australia.
— Gabrielle Katanasho
Opposition leader Sussan Ley and Liberal MP Julian Leeser spoke outside Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital after meeting with hospital staff and relatives of people in the intensive care unit.
Ley praised the "bravery and the endurance and the resilience of the community" and hailed the "unbelievable doctors and nurses and radiographers who have healed and are healing" patients across the city.
— Josie Harvey
NSW Premier Chris Minns said he is working to recall parliament before Christmas to introduce legislation limiting the number of firearms a licence holder can own.
"Logistically, we're working with our MPs to get back into parliament as soon as possible. I haven't had a detailed discussion with the leader of the Opposition, but in fairness to her, we don't have a draft bill," he said.
"She [Kellie Sloane] has been incredible working with us over the last 24/48 hours. She is the member for that community and I can't speak highly enough of the bipartisan way she has approached this incredible tragedy.
"I don't want to speak for the Coalition, but I think we will be in a position to do this together."
The top 100 licence-holders in NSW own more than 13,000 weapons combined, according to data from the NSW firearms registry. Many of those are located in metropolitan areas.
The two individual licensees who own the most guns in NSW each live in inner Sydney. They own 386 and 304 firearms, respectively, according to a January report by the Australia Institute.
Owning such a high number of guns is legal under firearm laws in all states and territories except Western Australia.
— Gabrielle Katanasho
NSW Police commissioner Mal Lanyon has corrected earlier statements that Sajid Akram held a firearm licence dated back to 2015.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Anthony Albanese and Chris Minns, Lanyon explained that while Akram had applied for a licence in 2015, that initial application lapsed.
"I'm advised that he did not get a photo taken, as required by that licence, and the application lapsed in 2016," Lanyon told reporters.
He then applied a second time for an AB license in 2020, which was then issued in 2023.
He confirmed that the seized firearms were "attached to that licence appropriately".
— Cameron Carr
As reporters shout over one another to ask questions at the media conference, police resourcing before and during the Bondi Beach Hanukkah event is repeatedly raised.
NSW Police commissioner Mal Lanyon responds to two questions about officer numbers at Bondi Beach, saying he cannot disclose details due to the ongoing investigation.
NSW Premier Chris Minns then steps in to defend the police response.
"I feel it is incredibly important of me, as the Premier of NSW, to respond to some of these questions. The NSW Police acted with bravery and integrity," Minns said.
"They engaged the gunmen on the footbridge with handguns. They didn't take a backward step. The offenders had long-range rifles, and NSW Police officers were responsible for killing one of them and shooting the other one, and as a result, saving many people's lives.
"There are two officers in critical care in NSW hospitals at the moment. They weren't shot in the back as they were running away. They were shot in the front. I'm sorry to be graphic about it, but if there is any suggestion that NSW Police didn't live up to their responsibilities to the people of this state, it should be rejected because it is not consistent with the facts."
Minns said officers put their lives on the line to save people.
"I think this rush to come to conclusions before all the facts are known is, in my view, disrespectful to their actions."
— Madeleine Wedesweiler
NSW Premier Chris Minns said small business help will be announced in the next 24 hours for the Bondi area to help the community in returning to a "semblance of normal life".
"We know there's huge disruption associated with this huge police investigation. There's been an impact on the local community," he said.
"And part of our job, after this investigation moves on, is to ensure that we lift back up the Bondi community and we give people a place to come together and to return to a semblance of normal life.
"I want to make it clear — none of the shopkeepers, none of them, have complained about this at all. But we want to have their back as they open their doors in the coming days."
— Gabrielle Katanasho
NSW Police commissioner Mal Lanyon responded to media reporting that the two alleged offenders travelled to the Philippines last month. He said the vehicle used by the men was registered to the younger of the two and contained two homemade "ISIS flags".
"I can confirm that they did travel to the Philippines," Lanyon told reporters.
"The reasons why they went to the Philippines, and the purpose of that, and where they went when they were there, is under investigation at the moment.
"We continue to work through the motive of this tragedy."
— Josie Harvey
Premier Chris Minns has vowed to make NSW gun laws the "toughest" in the country following the Bondi tragedy.
"I'm determined to bring in the toughest gun laws in Australia, and they'll be significantly tightened in NSW," he said.
Police have confirmed the father and son duo behind the mass shooting were brandishing long-arm rifles when they allegedly fired at members of the public at the iconic Sydney beach on Sunday evening, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more, in what has been declared a terrorist incident.
On Monday, the National Cabinet agreed on "immediate" priorities, including a crackdown on 3D-printed weapons, tighter limits on the number of firearms a person can own, gun imports, and equipment that can hold large amounts of ammunition.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "The very nature of our gun laws means that they are only as strong as the weakest link."
"We wanted to make sure that they [states and territories] followed Premier Minns' lead in committing to strengthening the gun laws that were, of course, created in the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy some 30 years ago."
— Gabrielle Katanasho
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has encouraged Australians to seek mental health support following the Bondi Beach shooting, acknowledging the attack would have ongoing impacts.
The prime minister was speaking alongside NSW Premier Chris Minns, NSW Police commissioner Mal Lanyon and Australian Federal Police commissioner Krissy Barrett.
"Sunday's tragedy will have, of course, an immediate and lasting impact on many Australians, but the Jewish community here in Sydney and nationally, but for first responders and people in Bondi and Sydney, the impact will be particularly acute," Albanese said.
"The Australian government has made significant investments in mental health support, including expanding Headspace and the creation of Medicare mental health centres. I encourage all Australians affected by this tragedy to consider accessing mental health support."
The prime minister read out the phone numbers of several services including:
Lifeline on 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14, and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged up to 25). More information and support with mental health is available at beyondblue.org.au and on 1300 22 4636.
— Madeleine Wedesweiler
Opposition leader Sussan Ley and frontbencher Julian Leeser visited the terror attack site in Sydney today.
Ley says the Coalition will consider "sensible" gun reform.
"We will examine what comes out of the detailed conversations that have been initiated yesterday in a sensible, proportionate way," she told reporters.
Leeser said the government needs to act on the antisemitism envoy's recent recommendations.
"How much longer does the Jewish community have to wait? There are 15 people who are dead. We need action."
— Cameron Carr
Clinical psychologist Tammy Ben Shaul has advised setting boundaries around engagement with social media content on the Bondi terror attack, to avoid retraumatisation or vicarious trauma.
"My advice around these big traumatic events is to stay away from media in an ongoing way," she told SBS Hebrew.
"It's probably a really good idea to stay off social media … and decide on what period of time to engage with the news.
"The recapping … feeds the nervous system with information that this ongoing event is happening at the moment — it doesn't distinguish if its traumatic mental activity, or if it's the actual trauma that happened."
— Gabrielle Katanasho
SBS World News
