Bondi Beach Terror Attack: Royal Commission Hears Details of Shooting, Security Gaps
The royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion has begun scrutinising the circumstances surrounding the Bondi Beach terror attack on December 14, 2025, in which 15 people were killed during a Hanukkah celebration. Evidence presented in the first days of public hearings paints a picture of a rapid, deadly assault and raises questions about whether security preparations were sufficient.
Counsel assisting the commission, Richard Lancaster SC, told the hearing that the attack unfolded with devastating speed. Within 29 seconds of the gunmen opening fire, 11 people had been shot, 10 of them fatally. The two attackers, identified as Sajid Akram and his son Naveed, fired from a footbridge above Archer Park at the beachside Chanukah by the Sea event. Sajid was shot dead by police; Naveed was wounded and is in custody facing murder and terrorist act charges. Lancaster said there was no specific intelligence suggesting an armed attack was planned at the event, describing the shooting as a "surprise attack."
Further testimony from NSW Police deputy commissioner David Hudson revealed that officers on the scene were significantly outgunned. They were armed with 9mm Glock pistols while the attackers used high-powered rifles and shotguns. Hudson acknowledged that police were "placed at significant risk," and said a plan to establish an armed response command of 210 officers with long-arm weapons has been escalated but will take at least another year to fully staff.
The commission also heard about security arrangements at the event. A Jewish security organisation, the Community Security Group (CSG), had requested a static police presence for the entire celebration. NSW Police declined, instead allocating a mobile tasking, with officers instructed to attend from time to time. At the moment the shooting began, only four police officers were at Archer Park; within five minutes, that number grew to 11. The two gunmen were subdued within seven minutes and 41 seconds.
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess gave evidence that the agency's annual holiday threat assessment, issued less than two weeks before the attack, warned that terrorists could target religious festivals like Christmas and Hanukkah but did not identify heightened risks specifically to Hanukkah celebrations. Burgess had earlier declared antisemitism ASIO's highest priority threat to life. He also testified that the rise in antisemitic incidents after the October 2023 outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war contributed to ASIO's decision to raise the national terrorism threat level to "probable" in August 2024.
Burgess said the war in the Middle East "invoked a range of emotions in Australia," and that antisemitic behaviours "left unchecked" became "normalised," giving "more permission for violence" against Jewish Australians. He described an escalation from threatening behaviour to direct targeting of people, businesses, and places of worship, including vandalism and arson attacks on homes, schools, synagogues, and vehicles. He also attributed two specific attacks on kosher establishments to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a finding that led to the expulsion of Iran's ambassador.
A separate line of inquiry has focused on the role of private Jewish security groups. Deputy Commissioner Hudson expressed "considerable reservations" about expanding their powers, saying that isolating a particular group for additional law enforcement powers is "problematic" and could create friction between communities. Notably, NSW Premier Chris Minns had earlier flagged considering arming the Community Security Group, a step Hudson's testimony appears to caution against.
The commission's second block of hearings, which began on Monday, is expected to run until June 12. A substantial number of sessions will be closed to the public due to ongoing criminal proceedings and national security concerns.