Confront the darkness with light, together.
On a December evening in Sydney, as a thousand people gathered at Bondi Beach to observe Hanukkah, a father and son opened fire into the crowd, killing 16 and wounding dozens more in what Australian authorities have declared an act of terrorism rooted in antisemitism. Among the dead were a 10-year-old girl and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor who had spent decades celebrating this very tradition on Australian soil. The attack has forced a nation to reckon once again with the fragility of pluralism, the limits of surveillance, and the question of how hatred finds its way through the cracks of ordinary civic life.
- Gunfire erupted at 6:47 pm into a crowd of roughly 1,000 people celebrating Hanukkah, leaving 16 dead and 42 hospitalized within minutes.
- An ISIS flag found near the scene and a prior 2019 intelligence flag on the younger suspect have raised urgent questions about what warning signs were missed and why.
- The attackers used legally licensed firearms — six weapons registered to the father through a gun club — exposing a critical gap between regulatory compliance and public safety.
- World leaders from Trump to Netanyahu to Pope Leo XIV responded swiftly, but the attack has also ignited raw grief and anger among Jewish Australians who feel long-ignored warnings finally proved fatal.
- Australia's political leaders have moved toward the most significant gun law reforms in decades, while the surviving suspect remains hospitalized under guard, awaiting criminal charges.
On a Sunday evening in December, roughly 1,000 people had gathered at Sydney's Bondi Beach for an annual Hanukkah celebration when a father and son opened fire into the crowd. By the time police contained the attack, 16 people were dead — among them a 10-year-old girl and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor — and 42 others had been hospitalized, five critically. Two police officers were also wounded in the confrontation.
The attackers were identified as Sajid Akram, 50, who was killed in a shootout with police, and his 24-year-old son Naveed, who survived but remained hospitalized under guard. Sajid had arrived in Australia on a student visa in 1998 and had legally held firearms licences since 2015, owning six registered weapons — all believed to have been used in the attack. An ISIS flag was found in a vehicle linked to the pair near the beach, prompting Australia's domestic intelligence agency ASIO to investigate potential extremist connections. Naveed had first come to ASIO's attention in 2019 due to associations with suspected extremists, but investigators at the time found no evidence he posed an ongoing threat.
Among the dead was Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor who had celebrated Hanukkah at Bondi Beach for decades. His wife Larisa, also a Holocaust survivor and his partner of nearly 60 years, confirmed his death. Slovak-Australian Marika Pogany and Chabad community member Reuven Morrison were also named among the victims.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack as an act of 'pure evil' and lit a candle in solidarity with the Jewish community. US President Donald Trump called it 'purely antisemitic,' while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Australia of failing to confront antisemitism before the violence. Pope Leo XIV offered prayers and called for an end to antisemitic attacks. Two sisters who had been at Bondi Beach the day before told the BBC they felt warnings had been ignored for years.
In the aftermath, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns closed public schools in parts of the state and questioned why civilians outside agriculture would need access to such firearms. Australian leaders agreed to tighten gun laws in what would be the country's most significant firearms legislation in decades. The investigation remains ongoing, and Naveed Akram is expected to face criminal charges once his medical condition permits.
On a Sunday evening in December, as families gathered at Sydney's Bondi Beach to light candles for Hanukkah, gunfire erupted into the crowd. Around 6:47 pm local time, roughly 1,000 people assembled for the annual Jewish celebration found themselves under attack. By the time emergency services contained the violence, 16 people lay dead—victims ranging in age from a 10-year-old girl to an 87-year-old. Forty-two others were hospitalized, five in critical condition. Two police officers were wounded in the confrontation that followed.
The attackers were identified as a father and son. The older man, 50 years old, was killed during a shootout with police. His 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, survived but remained hospitalized in critical condition under guard, facing likely criminal charges once his medical state permitted. The father, Sajid Akram, had arrived in Australia on a student visa in 1998 and held a valid firearms licence since 2015. He was a registered member of a gun club and legally owned six firearms—all believed to have been used in the attack. He met the eligibility requirements for recreational hunting and held both Category A and B licences, which permitted him to possess the long firearms deployed that evening.
Investigators quickly uncovered troubling details. An Islamic State flag was discovered in a vehicle linked to the pair near the beach. Australia's domestic intelligence agency, ASIO, launched an investigation into potential ISIS connections. The younger suspect had first come to ASIO's attention in October 2019, when he was assessed due to his associations with individuals suspected of extremist ties. At that time, investigators found no evidence he posed an ongoing threat or was likely to commit violence. Naveed was born in Australia; his father had transitioned to a partner visa in 2001 and held a resident return visa at the time of the shooting. Police declined to comment on the attackers' citizenship status, saying they were still working through background details.
Among the dead was Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor who had come to Bondi Beach to celebrate Hanukkah, a tradition his family had maintained for decades. His wife, Larisa Kleytman, also a Holocaust survivor, confirmed his death. The couple had been married for nearly 60 years. Kleytman had survived the Holocaust with his mother and younger brother in Siberia before migrating to Australia from Ukraine. A Slovak-Australian woman, Marika Pogany, was also identified among the victims. Reuven Morrison, a member of the Chabad community who divided his time between Sydney and Melbourne, was named as another casualty.
Australian authorities declared the attack a terrorist act, triggering a joint counter-terrorism operation. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it an act of "pure evil" and posted on social media that the nation would confront the darkness with light, lighting a candle in solidarity with the Jewish community during the eight nights of Hanukkah. US President Donald Trump characterized it as a "purely antisemitic attack," while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Australia's government of failing to act strongly enough against antisemitism in the lead-up to the violence. Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for the victims and called for an end to antisemitic violence.
Two sisters who came to lay flowers near the police cordon expressed anger at what they saw as government failure. Nadine Saachs and Karen Sher told the BBC that warnings had been ignored for decades and accused authorities of allowing the attack to happen. They noted they had been at Bondi Beach a day earlier, crossing the same bridge where the gunmen would later position themselves.
In response, Australian leaders moved swiftly toward reform. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns announced that public schools in parts of the state would remain closed to ensure safety and allow authorities to respond. He questioned why civilians outside agriculture or farming would need firearms and declared that such weapons have no place on NSW streets. Australia's leaders agreed to toughen gun laws, marking the most significant firearms legislation since the country's last major mass shooting decades earlier. NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the investigation was ongoing and that police would provide only limited updates to avoid prejudicing future court proceedings. The surviving suspect, once medically cleared, would likely face criminal charges. The nation entered a period of mourning as investigators continued to piece together the full scope of the attackers' motivations and any organizational links to extremist groups.
Citações Notáveis
They allowed it to happen. Concerns had been raised for decades.— Karen Sher, sister laying flowers at the scene, to BBC
Enough of these forms of anti-Semitic violence—we must eliminate the hatred in our hearts.— Pope Leo XIV, at Vatican audience
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does a man with a clean background check in 2019 end up carrying out something like this five years later?
That's the question investigators are wrestling with now. He was assessed, found to pose no threat, and then apparently something shifted. We don't know what yet—whether it was radicalization online, personal crisis, influence from his father, or something else entirely.
The father had a legal licence. He was a gun club member. How does that happen in a country that's supposed to have strict firearms laws?
Australia does have strict laws, but they're not absolute. If you meet the criteria—stable employment, no criminal record, legitimate purpose like hunting—you can get licensed. The father apparently did. The system worked as designed, but the design didn't account for what he became.
And the ISIS flag in the car—does that suggest organized planning, or something more personal and ideological?
That's still being investigated. ASIO is looking at whether there were direct links to ISIS cells. But finding a flag doesn't necessarily mean operational connection. It could indicate sympathy, study, or something in between. The investigation will take time.
What strikes me is that a Holocaust survivor was killed at a Hanukkah celebration. That's almost too heavy to hold.
Yes. Alex Kleytman survived the Holocaust in Siberia, came to Australia, built a life with his wife for sixty years, and then was killed at a religious celebration. It's a kind of historical cruelty that people are struggling to process.
What happens to the son now?
He's in critical condition under police guard. If he recovers, he'll face criminal charges. But the investigation into his state of mind, his knowledge, his role—that's all still unfolding. He may have been a participant or a reluctant accomplice. We don't know yet.