Court documents allege father-son duo rehearsed in NSW countryside; Albanese vows tougher hate, gun laws
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns speaks during a press conference to give an update on the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach, with Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley, and Stephen Bendle, the convener of the Australian Gun Safety Alliance (AGSA), at the NSW Parliament, in Sydney, Australia, December 22. — AFP
Two men accused of carrying out Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades conducted “tactical” firearms training in the New South Wales countryside ahead of the Bondi Beach attack, police alleged in court documents released on Monday.
Father and son Sajid Akram and Naveed are accused of targeting a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach last week, killing 15 people. Police said the pair undertook firearms training and rehearsed movements in what authorities described as a “tactical manner”, with images showing them firing shotguns.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns speaks during a press conference to give an update on the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach, with Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley, and Stephen Bendle, the convener of the Australian Gun Safety Alliance (AGSA), at the NSW Parliament, in Sydney, Australia, December 22. — AFP
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According to the documents, the suspects also recorded a video in October in which they railed against “Zionists” while seated in front of an Islamic State group flag and outlined their motivations for the attack. Police further alleged the pair made a nighttime reconnaissance visit to Bondi Beach days before the shooting.
Australia observed a minute’s silence on Sunday evening, exactly one week after the first reports of gunfire.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would introduce tougher laws against hate speech and extremism, including a new aggravated offence for hate preaching. “We’re not going to let ISIS-inspired terrorists win. We won’t let them divide our society,” he told reporters, apologising to the Jewish community and the nation.
The federal government has also flagged reforms to gun ownership and hate speech laws, alongside a review of police and intelligence agencies. Albanese last week announced a sweeping gun buyback scheme, the largest since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre that left 35 people dead.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the state parliament had been recalled to pass what he described as the country’s toughest firearm reforms. Proposed legislation would cap gun ownership at four firearms per person, or 10 for exempt groups such as farmers, and ban the public display of terrorist symbols, including the Islamic State flag. Authorities would also gain powers to prohibit protests for up to three months following a terrorism incident.
This handout photo from a court exhibit released by the NSW Courts as part of the police facts sheet on December 22, 2025 shows a frame grab taken from closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) video footage of Sajid and Naveed Akram allegedly exiting 103 Brighton Avenue in Campsie on December 14, 2025 as they carried items wrapped in blankets. — AFP
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Officials said more than 1.1 million firearms are currently registered in the state.
One of the alleged attackers, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police during the attack. An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998. His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen, was transferred from hospital to jail on Monday.
Minns also indicated the state would consider stricter hate speech laws next year, including possible restrictions on the phrase “globalise the intifada,” commonly chanted at pro-Palestinian rallies.
