Photo: Izhar Khan/Getty Images

Australia and the global Jewish community are reeling after a pair of gunmen killed at least 15 people in a terrorist attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday. Below is what to know about what happened and what we’re learning in the aftermath.

What happened?

According to authorities and witness accounts, a father-and-son pair of gunmen armed with rifles opened fire on a huge crowd of people assembled early Sunday night at Bondi Beach for a “Hanukkah by the Sea” event hosted by the Chabad of Bondi. Footage of the attack showed the gunmen firing from a bridge on the crowd as people fled the gunfire in a panic.

The older gunman was killed by police, and his son was taken into custody.

In addition to the 15 people killed in the attack, at least 40 were injured and 27 remain hospitalized.

🇦🇺 Deux individus ont ouvert le feu dimanche sur une foule qui célébrait la fête juive de Hanouka sur la célèbre plage de Bondi à Sydney, en Australie, faisant 11 morts et 29 blessés, selon les autorités ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/FIUHnREi8S

— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) December 14, 2025

A heroic bystander saved countless lives

During the attack, a 43-year-old local man, Ahmed al Ahmed, snuck up behind one of the gunmen, tackled him, and wrestled away his gun.

Footage shows the moment one of the terrorists in the Bondi beach attack was tackled to the ground and disarmed.Latest ➡️ https://t.co/4eI6xhky0f pic.twitter.com/i47RbE6YEN

— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 14, 2025

He was later shot by one of the gunmen and is recovering in a local hospital.

Ahmed is a real-life hero. Last night, his incredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at enormous personal risk.It was an honour to spend time with him just now and to pass on the thanks of people across NSW. pic.twitter.com/3xNBW8vxvZ

— Chris Minns (@ChrisMinnsMP) December 15, 2025

Ahmed is being celebrated worldwide as a hero. His parents, who recently moved to Australia as refugees in Syria, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that their son, who has two young daughters, arrived in Australia in 2006. He was shot several times in the shoulder, they said.

Who are the suspects?

The suspected shooters have been identified as Sajid Akram, 50 and his son, Naveed Akram, 24. Per CNN, officers discovered several improvised explosive devices inside a car associated with the dead gunmen. Authorities have not yet confirmed the pair’s motive, but it is plainly obvious that they were targeting the Jewish community.

Authorities say the father was a licensed firearm owner for about ten years and that six firearms were retrieved by officers following the execution of two search warrants. Officials say that the officers are confident that the two men were the only individuals involved in the shooting.

Sajid Akram immigrated to Australia in 1998, and his son was born there. According to CNN, the son was investigated by Australia’s national security authorities several years ago:

He had previously come to the attention of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) which spent six months assessing his links to other people on their radar in 2019. “The assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a news conference on Monday.

What do we know about the victims?

The victims killed in Sunday’s attack spanned generations.

The youngest victim was a 10-year-old girl named Matilda who was attending the Hanukkah event with her parents and younger sister. The oldest was 87-year-old Alex Kleytman, who, according to Chabad, emigrated from Ukraine after surviving the Holocaust. He is survived by two children and 11 grandchildren.

One of those killed was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, the British-born assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi who helped to organize the event. According to a statement from the organization, Schlanger has served as a rabbi and chaplain in the community for 18 years.

French president Emmanuel Macron confirmed the death of Dan Elkayam, 27, a French citizen, on social media and expressed his “deep sadness.” “I think of his family and loved ones and express to them the full solidarity of the Nation,” he said.

Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in decades

Australia instituted strict restrictions on gun ownership in the country following a 1996 mass shooting in Port Arthur, a Tasmanian town, where a gunman shot and killed 35 people. Per the Guardian, the federal government placed restrictions on semiautomatic weapons, tightened gun-license requirements, and instituted a nationwide gun-buyback program.

One of the gunmen was a licensed gun owner in the country, and Australian politicians are already calling for even stricter gun-control measures in the aftermath of the shooting.

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