Sydney's Bondi Beach Attack Suspect Father-Son Pledged Allegiance To ISIS Before Shooting: Report

Last Updated:December 15, 2025, 09:29 IST

Naveed Akram, the younger suspect of the father-son duo that attacked people at Bondi Beach, studied at an Australian Islamic centre and reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS.

The two gunmen in the Australian shooting (Photo: Social Media)

Sydney authorities continue to investigate the deadly attack at Bondi Beach during Hanukkah celebrations, in which a father and son allegedly opened fire on Jewish attendees, killing at least 16 people and injuring another 40.

Investigators believe that Naveed Akram (24) and his father, Sajid Akram (50) pledged allegiance to ISIS prior to the attack.

Sources cited by the New York Post reported that an ISIS flag was found in their vehicle. Following the incident, the Al-Murad Institute has removed its website and social media accounts.

According to the report, the younger suspect, Naveed, studied religion at an Islamic centre in Australia that has connections to other Muslim-run organisations in the country.

The report claimed that Akram was praised in a February 2022 social media post by Adam Ismail, head of the Al-Murad Institute, for mastering “all the rules of tajweed", the recitation of Quranic laws.

“Another one of my dear students, Naveed Akram, passing the Iqra books and tajweed this morning, perfecting all the rules of tajweed," Ismail wrote in the now-deleted Facebook post, which showed the pair smiling as Akram held up his certificate.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) had previously investigated Akram in 2019 for potential terror ties, according to ABC.

Ismail told the Sydney Morning Herald that he lost contact with Akram in early 2022.

“I am devastated by the images of the victims in Bondi," he said, adding that he and his family have received death threats, forcing them to flee their home. While running the institute, Ismail also serves as a mentor at 5 Before 5 Solutions, an Australian-based organisation offering counselling and Islamic youth development programs.

According to Reuters, the father-son duo stormed Bondi Beach armed with shotguns and a bolt-action rifle, targeting a Hanukkah event attended by roughly 1,000 people.

The attack lasted about 10 minutes, sending hundreds fleeing. The victims, aged between 10 and 87, were mostly Jewish.

Police confirmed that the father, Sajid Akram, was killed at the scene, while Naveed remains in critical condition in the hospital.

A bystander, identified as Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, was hailed as a hero for tackling and disarming one of the gunmen.

Reuters reported that al Ahmed was shot twice and had undergone surgery, with an online fundraising page raising more than A$350,000 ($233,000) for him.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon was quoted as saying that, “We are very much working through the background of both persons. At this stage, we know very little about them."

Home Minister Tony Burke added that the father arrived in Australia in 1998 on a student visa, while his son was an Australian-born citizen.

The tragedy has left Bondi in mourning, with makeshift memorials, flowers, and Israeli and Australian flags set up near the Bondi pavilion.

Police and private Jewish security guards are maintaining a presence as mourners pay respects and leave messages in an online condolence book.

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