What we know about Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting

Eyewitness captures moment man tackles and disarms Bondi shooter

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 Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has vowed to strengthen gun laws after a shooting targeting the country's Jewish community at a Hannukah event on Sydney's Bondi Beach.

Fifteen people - including a 10-year-old girl - were killed in the attack, which Albanese has described as "an act of antisemitism... [and] terrorism on our shores".

The two gunmen were identified by police as father and son. The pair have since been named by local media as Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24. The older gunman was shot dead by police, while his son is in a critical condition in hospital.

Two Islamic State (IS) flags were found in the gunmen's car, a senior official told ABC News.

Mass shootings in Australia are very rare. The attack at Bondi Beach is the country's deadliest incident since 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people during the Port Arthur massacre.

Police have declared the incident a terror attack.

Here's what we know so far.

How the attack unfolded

On Sunday 14 December, at 18:47 local time (07:47 GMT), police received reports that shots had been fired at a park in Bondi Beach.

Verified videos captured people fleeing the beach, screaming and running as a volley of gunshots rang out.

Footage verified by the BBC appears to show two gunmen firing from a small bridge near a car park on Campbell Parade, on the northern end of Bondi Beach. They are firing down towards an area of parkland where the Hannukah event was taking place.

Separate video from a few minutes later verified by the BBC shows a bystander - since identified as Ahmed al Ahmed - disarming one of the gunmen. Mr al Ahmed, who is a fruit shop owner and father of two, tackled the gunman, before taking his gun and turning it back on him.

The gunman then retreats towards the bridge, from where another attacker is firing.

In the same footage, another man - who appears to be injured - is seen fleeing the scene, as police arrive and begin to fire in the direction of the gunmen.

Another verified video shows several police officers on the same bridge. One appears to be administering CPR to a motionless man as someone shouts: "He's dead, he's dead."

At 18:57 on Sunday, New South Wales Police shared their first public statement, urging people at the scene to take shelter and others to avoid the area.

At 19:39, police said two people were in custody. Later on Sunday, at 22:00, New South Wales Police designated the incident as a terrorist attack on Sydney's Jewish community.

How many people were killed and injured?

A 10-year-old girl was among 15 people killed in the attack, according to New South Wales Police. Two rabbis and a Holocaust survivor were also killed.

The ages of the victims ranges from 10 to 87 years old. No further details have been provided.

The family of British-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, told the BBC he was among the dead. He had helped organise the Hannukah event, Jewish organisation Chabad said.

Schlanger's cousin, Rabbi Zalman Lewis, described him as "vivacious, energetic, full of life and a very warm outgoing person who loved to help people".

Also among those killed were Rabbi Yaakov Levitan's death, who Chabad described as a "popular coordinator" of its activities in Sydney. Alexander Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor, was killed while trying to shield his wife, the organisation said.

Israeli media - citing the country's foreign ministry - reported that an Israeli citizen was also killed.

French citizen Dan Elkayam was also identified as a victim of the attack.

A further 42 people were taken to hospital due to their injuries. Australian health authorities say 27 people are being treated in hospitals across Sydney, and six of them are in a critical condition.

New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park told ABC News on Monday that four children were transferred to Sydney Children's Hospital. It is not clear if the 10-year-old child who died is included in this number.

Two police officers were shot and injured during the incident, according to police. They were reported on Sunday to be in a "serious, verging on critical" condition.

What do we know about the gunmen?

The gunmen were father and son aged 50 and 24, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told a news conference on Monday morning.

They were named by local media as Sajid Akram and son Naveed Akram.

Sajid Akram was a licensed firearms holder, having met the eligibility criteria for a recreational hunting licence. He was linked to six firearms, all of which were believed to have been used in the Bondi Beach attack, Lanyon said.

He arrived in 1998 on a student visa, Home Minister Tony Burke said, without specifying from where. The visa was transferred in 2001 to a partner visa and later resident return visas.

His son Naveed Akram is an Australian-born citizen. Prime Minister Albanese said he had first come to the attention of authorities in October 2019.

He had been "examined on the basis of being associated with others," Albanese said, "and the assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence".

Australian broadcaster ABC report that the 24-year-old was examined over his close ties to a Sydney-based Islamic State (IS) terrorism cell. ABC also reports that counter-terrorism police believe the gunmen had pledged allegiance to IS.

Two IS flags were found in the Bondi Beach gunmen's car, a senior official told ABC. A flag could be seen on the bonnet of the car in footage from the scene, the broadcaster reports.

How have political leaders responded?

Albanese has said that he will put tougher new gun laws on the agenda for a national cabinet meeting.

These will include proposals to limit on the number of guns that can be used or licensed by individuals and a review of licences over a period of time.

Australia has some of the world's most stringent gun laws. Permits and licenses are required to own guns while all people who own firearms also have to be registered.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a phone call with Australian foreign minister Penny Wong on Monday to "discuss the antisemitic terrorist attack".

Earlier, Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the shooting a "very cruel attack on Jews", while King Charles - who is head of state in the Commonwealth nation - said he was "appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack".

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has called on people to continue laying flowers at a memorial site which has been established at the rear of the Bondi pavilion.

He also welcomed the "record numbers" of people and massive lines at blood donation services across New South Wales.

What is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah, or Chanukah in Hebrew, is often referred to as the Jewish festival of lights.

The dates of Hanukkah change every year, but it will always fall in November or December and lasts for eight days.

An event to mark the first day of the celebration was taking place on Bondi Beach at the time of the shooting.

A digital flyer for the event, named Chanuka by the Sea 2025, shows it was scheduled to take place near the beach's children's playground from 17:00 local time (06:00 GMT) on Sunday.

Organised by Jewish centre Chabad of Bondi, the event was set to feature live entertainment and activities "for all ages". Around 1,000 people were said to be in attendance.