Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has faced sharp criticism from the Jewish community in the days since the shooting, including being booed by sections of a crowd at a memorial attended by tens of thousands
The deadly Bondi Beach terror attack has triggered intense political fallout in Australia, with growing pressure on the federal government over intelligence failures, gun laws and the handling of antisemitic threats.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has faced sharp criticism from the Jewish community in the days since the shooting, including being booed by sections of a crowd at a memorial attended by tens of thousands.
They ARRESTED the man who yelled at the Prime Minister ‘you have blood on your hands’ in Bondi last night.
What. The. Eff.
pic.twitter.com/87h28jycb3
— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) December 22, 2025STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Albanese has since apologised to Jewish Australians and promised to “work every day” to protect them. He has also pledged to push for tougher legislation against extremism and hate speech. But questions continue to mount over whether warning signs linked to the alleged gunmen were missed.
More from World
There are increasing calls for a Royal Commission, Australia’s highest public inquiry, to examine the handling of intelligence and the broader response to the attack.
Are the existing gun laws enough?It has emerged that Naveed Akram, one of the alleged attackers, was previously investigated over possible links to a Sydney-based Islamic State (IS) cell. Albanese has said Akram first came to the attention of authorities in 2019, but “an assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence”.
Further scrutiny is now focused on how Akram and his father were able to travel to the Philippines in the month before the attack, and how firearms were obtained. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said an investigation was ongoing and declined to speculate.
In response, New South Wales has recalled parliament to debate new gun and protest laws. While civil rights groups have raised concerns, Minns said some may feel the changes had “gone too far” but insisted they were necessary for public safety.
Court documents reveal planning and reconnaissanceNewly released court documents now offer a detailed look at how the Bondi Beach attack allegedly unfolded. Prosecutors allege the two gunmen “meticulously” planned the assault over several months and carried out reconnaissance just two days before the shooting.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
CCTV footage from December 12 shows two men “believed to be the accused and his father” near a footbridge overlooking Bondi Beach.
“The accused and his father, S Akram, are seen to exit the vehicle and walk along the footbridge, being the same position where they attended two days later and shot at members of the public,” the document states.
“Police allege that this is evidence of reconnaissance and planning of a terrorist act.”
Explosives, training videos and final movementsThe documents say the attackers first threw three pipe bombs and a “tennis ball bomb” at the crowd on December 14, though none detonated. They then opened fire, killing 14 people at the scene. A fifteenth victim later died in hospital.
Police allege videos from October show the father and son “conducting firearms training in a countryside location”, where they are seen “firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner”. Another video is described as showing the men seated in front of an IS flag, condemning “the acts of ‘Zionists’”, while Naveed Akram is “recorded appearing to recite, in Arabic, a passage from the Quran”.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
CCTV from the early hours of the attack day shows two men leaving rented accommodation in Campsie “carrying long and bulky items wrapped in blankets”, which police say included firearms, four improvised explosive devices, and two IS flags.
Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one charge of terror. His father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police during an exchange of fire at the scene.
Akram was critically injured, released from hospital on Monday, and transferred to prison as investigations continue.
