Australian police say Bondi Beach attackers inspired by ISIL

Investigators accidental the deadly Bondi Beach onslaught is being treated arsenic ‘terrorism’ aft grounds of ISIL power found.

The Australian constabulary accidental the 2 men accused of carrying retired a deadly shooting astatine a Jewish Hanukkah solemnisation astatine Sydney’s Bondi Beach that killed 15 radical were “inspired” by the ISIL (ISIS) group.

Police besides confirmed connected Tuesday that they were investigating a trip the 2 suspects undertook to the Philippines past month.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4Trump urges China’s Xi to escaped jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai
• list 2 of 4How volition US respond to the sidesplitting of 3 of its soldiers successful Syria?
• list 3 of 4Israel to demolish 25 homes successful occupied West Bank’s Nur Shams camp
• list 4 of 4Venezuela slams European Council’s renewed sanctions arsenic ‘futile’

“Early indications constituent to a violent onslaught inspired by Islamic State, allegedly committed by a begetter and son,” Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said astatine a quality conference.

“These are the alleged actions of those who person aligned themselves with a violent organisation, not a religion,” Barrett said, referring to ISIL.

One of the alleged attackers, identified by constabulary arsenic 50-year-old Sajid Akram, was changeable dormant by constabulary officers. His 24-year-old son, believed to person acted alongside him and named by section media arsenic Naveed Akram, was besides changeable and remains successful captious information successful hospital.

Investigators accidental the father-son duo opened occurrence connected hundreds of people gathered astatine the beachside festival, carrying retired the onslaught that lasted astir 10 minutes astatine 1 of Australia’s astir fashionable tourer locations.

Wayne Hay, reporting for Al Jazeera from Bondi Beach, said constabulary confirmed that “two Islamic State flags – homemade flags – were recovered successful the gunmen’s conveyance on with an improvised explosive device”.

“They besides spoke astir this travel that the brace had taken to the Philippines. A batch of speculation astir that implicit the past 24 hours oregon so. They confirmed that they did spell to the Philippines recently, but they are not wide yet arsenic to the motive for that trip,” Hay said.

“That will, of course, signifier portion of immoderate ongoing probe arsenic to wherefore they made that trip,” helium said.

Mourners stitchery astatine the Bondi Pavilion successful representation of the victims of the shooting astatine Bondi Beach, successful Sydney, December 15, 2025 [Saeed Khan/AFP]

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters that the crushed for the sojourn and wherever they visited successful the Philippines “is nether probe astatine the moment”.

The Philippine constabulary said they are besides investigating the matter.

ISIL-linked equipped groups are known to run successful parts of the Philippines, peculiarly successful the country’s south. While those groups person been importantly weakened successful caller years, they proceed to beryllium arsenic smaller cells connected the confederate land of Mindanao.

Their spot is acold removed from the power they erstwhile exerted, peculiarly during the 2017 siege of Marawi, erstwhile ISIL fighters laid siege to the city, prompting months of dense combat with authorities forces that killed much than 1,000 people.

The Bondi Beach attack, which was the deadliest wide shooting successful Australia successful astir 3 decades, besides near immoderate 25 radical injured, including respective successful captious condition.