Police suggest alleged Bondi shooters did not receive training

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

While reviewing CCTV footage of the alleged perpetrators of the Bondi Beach shooting and their trip to the Philippines, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have suggested that they did not receive training while there and acted alone in the attack.

According to Australian federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett, the alleged perpetrators had reportedly spent almost a month in the Philippines before carrying out the attack. However, while police believe that the attack was inspired by the teachings of the Islamic State, they do not believe the attack was being directed by a larger militant organisation. CCTV footage of the perpetrators’ time in the Philippines has been provided to the AFP. The initial assessment from the Philippines suggested that the alleged gunmen rarely left their hotel while they were in the country, and there was no evidence that they had received training while there, Barrett stated at a press conference. However, she also stated that she did not believe they were there for tourism.

The shooting, which occurred on 14 December, occurred at a Hannukah festival at Bondi Beach in Sydney, the capital city of the Australian state of New South Wales. It resulted in the death of 16 people (including one of the perpetrators), with ages of the victims ranging from 10 to 87. Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram have been accused of perpetrating the attack; Sajid was shot and killed by New South Wales Police during the attack, while Naveed was also shot but was hospitalised and woke from a coma two days after the attack. Sajid was an Indian national, while Naveed was an Australian-born citizen. The two were reportedly inspired by the ideology of the Islamic State. Since the attack, Naveed has been charged with several offences, including 15 counts of murder.