Bondi beach gunmen shot 11 people within 30 seconds of opening fire, royal commission hears

Within 30 seconds of opening fire at Bondi beach on 14 December, two gunmen targeting Jewish Australians had shot 11 people, killing 10 of them, the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion has heard.

The second block of public hearings opened in Sydney on Monday morning, taking evidence about what was known about the two shooters.

On the evening of 14 December, two gunmen, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed, allegedly opened fire from a footbridge above Archer Park at Bondi beach, firing at a beachside Hanukah celebration being held for the local Jewish community.

Fifteen people were killed by the gunmen. Sajid Akram was shot dead by police; Naveed was shot and wounded and is in custody facing charges, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act that investigators allege may have been “inspired by” Islamic State.

Counsel assisting, Richard Lancaster SC, told the commission the evidence will demonstrate a number of facts about the 14 December attack.

The commission heard:

• A Jewish organisation, the Community Security Group, asked NSW police to provide a static police presence at the Chanukah by the Sea event for the entirety of the celebration.
• NSW police declined to provide a static police presence for the entire event, instead allocating a “mobile tasking, that is police officers were instructed to attend the event from time to time during the evening”.
• At the time the two gunmen opened fire on Jewish community members, there were four police at Archer Park.
• Within 29 seconds of the start of the shooting, 11 people had been shot, 10 of them fatally.
• Three police officers were shot and injured in the court of the attack.
• Within five minutes, there were 11 police officers on the scene.
• The first shooter was shot and killed and the second shooter was shot and apprehended within seven minutes and 41 seconds after the start of the shooting.

Lancaster said there was no specific intelligence that the beachside Hanukah celebration would be the target of an attack.

“There is no evidence that any intelligence agency or law enforcement agency had any actual knowledge or specific information to suggest that there might be an armed attack on the Hanukah celebration at Bondi on 14 December 2025.

“In that sense it was a surprise attack.”

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The Asio director general, Mike Burgess, told the commission on Monday morning that while Asio’s funding had been increased in recent years, the proportion of that funding dedicated towards counter-terrorism had decreased, in favour of resources – including Asio staff – being reallocated from counter-terrorism to foreign interference and espionage.