Bondi Beach attack timeline: how two Sydney men moved from ordinary life to alleged ISIS-linked gunmen

A mass shooting at Bondi Beach on the evening of December 14, 2025, left 15 civilians dead and 42 injured when Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration. Sajid was shot and killed by police at the scene; Naveed was critically wounded and later charged with 59 counts, including 15 counts of murder and 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder, plus a count of committing a terrorist act and related firearm offenses. Police described a chaotic attack in which two attackers used military-grade weapons and explosives, then fled to a rental property before being confronted by officers. The investigation continues as authorities assess the full scope of the assault and the suspects’ networks.

Authorities say the probe is tracing a decades-long arc from ordinary life to alleged radicalization and explosive planning. The public timeline begins with Sajid Akram, born in 1975 in Hyderabad, India, who grew up in that city and earned a commerce degree before migrating to Australia in November 1998 on a student visa. Indian police have said there was no adverse record in Sajid’s early years, and the family maintained ties with relatives in India as they settled in Australia.

Property records show Sajid and his partner, Venera — the Akram family’s surname reflects a shared history; both were listed under Akram and lived in the Sydney suburb of Lakemba around January 2000. In 2001, Sajid transitioned to a partner visa, and their son Naveed was born in August of that year. The family moved to Cabramatta West in 2002, purchasing a three-bedroom home for about $228,000. By 2005 and 2008, their children’s ages placed Naveed in his early schooling; records indicate he attended Strathfield South Public School and later Cabramatta High School, where former peers recall him as quiet, polite, and not prone to trouble.

The public record then turns to a sequence of indicators that authorities describe as red flags, even as locals recall the Akram family as ordinary. In 2015, Sajid applied for a gun license but was knocked back after a missing or improper photo submission. By 2016, the family had relocated again, selling the Cabramatta West home and purchasing a new property in Bonnyrigg for about $700,000. Around that period, Naveed’s schooling record shows him dropping out of year levels around 2016 or 2017, with peers describing him as a quiet boy who kept to himself.

In 2019, Naveed is seen in a video preaching Islam to schoolchildren at Bankstown station, discussing the pillars of his faith and urging prayer. The clip, coupled with media coverage of similar videos, underlined Naveed as a devoted practitioner among his peers. That same year, an ASIO investigation examined Naveed’s association with Islamic State figure Isaac El Matari. El Matari was later convicted in a separate case of planning a terrorist act, and the probe also noted Naveed’s ties to Wasim Haddad, a controversial religious figure with long-standing links to individuals involved in extremist activity. ASIO determined Naveed did not pose an ongoing threat at the time; Haddad publicly denied knowledge of the Bondi Beach attacks after the shooting.

From 2020 onward, records show Sajid reframing his business and licensing posture. Sajid submitted another gun-licensing application, and in 2020, his application was approved, allowing him to legally own six rifles. The same year, Naveed is noted as working on construction sites around Sydney. By 2022, Naveed had earned a completion certificate from the Al-Murad Institute for IQRA books, a Quranic reading program; the school reported Naveed’s last contact in early 2022. The notes indicate a 2023 update to Sajid’s licensing status and a 2024 transfer of the Bonnyrigg home solely to Venera, with Sajid changing the main ABN business location to Bonnyrigg and registering for GST, signaling annual earnings above the threshold.

In 2024, Naveed reportedly attended training classes at Hit Gym in Liverpool, a detail residents described in interviews after the attack. A gym member said Naveed was kind and polite, reinforcing a narrative of a young man who kept to himself rather than a public-facing radical figure. By October 2025, the timeline notes, Naveed was laid off from a bricklaying job after the company folded, with a colleague describing him as a quiet, respectful man who held firm views but did not push them on others. A former colleague added that he suspected Naveed was born Christian before a shift toward Islam in his family’s dynamic.

In November 2025, Sajid and Naveed traveled to the Philippines, according to border authorities who tracked their movement via passports. The pair reported their final destination as Davao, a city in Mindanao long associated with various Islamic State-aligned groups. Counter-terrorism officials say the men conducted a months-long overseas trip that included alleged military-style training. They returned to Australia on a Manila-to-Sydney flight on November 28, 2025.

On December 12 and 13, the Akram family rented an apartment in Campsie, in Sydney’s southwest, under circumstances authorities described as suspicious to investigators; police later raided the Campsie property and recovered evidence including IED components and additional firearms. Family members told investigators the men had claimed to be on a fishing trip in the New South Wales coast, a claim that proved false after the assault on Bondi Beach.

That evening, Sajid and Naveed drove to Bondi Beach with two IS flags and a cache of weapons. They halted on Campbell Parade, where the first two victims, Boris Gurman, 61, and Sofia Gurman, 37 or 10-year-old Matilda?—the notes list several victims by name as well as other civilian casualties—attempted to intervene when Sajid attempted to draw a weapon. Bystanders acted as the scene unfolded: Ahmed Al-Ahmed, a tobacconist, tackled Sajid and helped disarm him, while Rueven Morrison, 62, threw bricks to shield others and was fatally shot in the process. Police arriving on the scene exchanged gunfire with the pair; Sajid died at the scene, and Naveed was critically injured and transported to a hospital for treatment.

In the wake of the attack, NSW Police conducted widespread raids across Sydney and recovered two additional firearms at the Campsie rental, along with devices described as IEDs and a video with IS-style propaganda discovered at the Campsie property. Investigators say the Bonds Beach attack produced a flood of testimonies from bystanders who described acts of bravery and selflessness amidst chaos. The community has since gathered at Bondi Pavilion, with candles, flowers, and mementos forming a memorial to the victims. Among the first responders, two police officers were among those injured in the line of duty during the response.

Naveed Akram, who survived the attack, appeared in court and was charged with 59 offenses, including 15 counts of murder and 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder, plus a count of committing a terrorist act, discharging a firearm in public, and placing an explosive near a building with intent to harm. He did not seek bail and remains in custody, with a next court date scheduled for April 8 of the following year. Authorities indicated the probe remains active as they examine the backgrounds of both defendants, including their relationships with acquaintances and any overseas connections.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would push for tougher gun laws in response to the tragedy, arguing that licence requirements should be revisited to prevent similar access to heavy firearms. “People’s circumstances can change. People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licences should not be in perpetuity,” he said, adding that any potential tightening would be considered in the context of public safety. NSW Premier Chris Minns voiced a similar intent, urging reforms to ensure firearms licensing in New South Wales does not enable dangerous weapons to circulate among the general public. He said reforms would aim to restrict access to what he called “weapons of mass destruction” and to ensure licensing standards match the public’s safety needs.

Authorities stress that the investigation remains ongoing as they continue to piece together how the two men developed their alleged plan, including potential links to overseas networks and the extent of their training abroad. Indian authorities have publicly stated that Sajid’s family did not report any radicalization and that, as yet, there is no evidence of ties to India or to local influence in Telangana that would explain the events at Bondi Beach. Officials emphasized that the case is complex and requires careful, corroborated examination of many years of personal history, financial records, and travel movements in order to understand how the attackers moved from ordinary life to an act of mass violence.

As the city mourns the victims and celebrates the bravery of those who stepped forward to shield others, Sydney continues to grapple with the implications of the attack for public safety policies and the country’s gun-licensing framework. The Bombi Beach tragedy has already sparked broad public dialogue about risk assessment, radicalization, and the responsibilities of authorities to anticipate and prevent such crises, even as residents remember those who perished and the families left behind.