The Bondi Beach gunman has been named as a 24-year-old from Sydney

The gunman who opened fire at Bondi Beach’s Hanukkah celebrations has been named as Navid Akram.

A driver’s license found at the scene listed his address as Bonnyrigg, in Sydney’s southwest, where police raided on Sunday evening. Unconfirmed reports say Akram is originally from Lahore, Pakistan.

The 24-year-old suspect was shot dead by police. A second alleged attacker remains in custody, while authorities continue to search amid reports of a possible third perpetrator.

Social media posts from an Islamic center in Australia show Akram completing religious studies in 2022, raising questions about possible radicalization and extremist networks in the country. Adam Ismail, head of Al-Murad Islamic Institute, where Akram studied, declined to comment when contacted by the Telegraph.

The attack is being treated as a terrorist incident and one of the deadliest acts of anti-Semitic violence in Australian history.

Video footage from the scene shows two men armed with black firing rifles heading towards the beach from a bridge over a nearby car park at around 6.40pm on Sunday. Police have maintained a heavy presence at the scene, with teams of detectives moving in and out on guard as ambulances arrive.

Credit: Sky News

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon urged calm, saying investigators were working through several lines of inquiry.

Israeli officials said they were investigating responsibility for the attack amid concerns it may have been orchestrated by foreign states or militant organizations. The shooting comes amid heightened tensions between Australia and Iran, following a series of Iranian-directed attacks on Jewish targets in the country.

Australian officials have not publicly confirmed any foreign involvement. However, Israeli officials cited Iran as the primary suspect if a state actor was involved, as well as examining possible ties to groups including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, according to Israeli media reports.

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A senior Israeli security official told Israel Hayom that “in recent months Iran has increased its activity in carrying out attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets around the world” and that investigators believe the Bondi Beach attack was “directed and orchestrated” in Tehran.

An Israeli intelligence source cited by the newspaper said activity by Iran and its allies had “significantly increased” in recent months. Another Israeli official said Australia was one of the affected countries, noting that the Australian government had taken action against the Iranian embassy following a special intelligence alert.

“There is no doubt that the direction and infrastructure of the attack originated from Tehran,” the official said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the shooting as a “brutal attack on the Jews”.

“In these very moments, our sisters and brothers in Sydney have been attacked by vile terrorists,” he said. “We are completely shocked and saddened.”

Meanwhile, some supporters of Iran’s regime celebrated the attack on social media. One post hailed Akram as “the hardest working member of the 2000 generation so far”.

Iranian state media reported the shooting using derogatory language, with the Tasnim news agency describing the victims as similar to those used during recent hostilities between Israel and Iran.

Australia formally listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization last month. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expelled Iran’s ambassador in August and suspended Australian embassy operations in Tehran, accusing the Islamic Republic of recruiting criminals to carry out anti-Semitic attacks on Australian soil.

Australian spy chief Mike Burgess said in August that Iran had “lit the matches and put out the fires” of anti-Semitism in Australia.

He said Tehran had directed at least two arson attacks last year, including those targeting a synagogue in Melbourne and a Jewish restaurant in Sydney.

“Iran and its proxies are directing Australians to commit these crimes through a series of cut-outs,” Mr Burgess said.

Louise’s Continental Kitchen, a kosher cafe in Bondi, was targeted in an arson attack in October last year. The Adas Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea, southeast of Melbourne, was also attacked in December. No injuries were reported.

Mr. Albanese said the Iranian government may have carried out more attacks on Jewish targets.

“These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression organized by a foreign nation on Australian soil,” he said. “They were attempts to undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community.”

Credit: Instagram/mian.ores – X

The expulsion of Ambassador Ahmed Sadeghi marked the most serious diplomatic crisis between Australia and Iran since the establishment of relations in 1968. Australia has also ordered embassy staff to leave Iran and advised citizens to leave if possible.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that one of those killed in the Bondi Beach attack was an Israeli citizen.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar urged Canberra to act against what he described as a rise in anti-Semitism during a phone call with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong.

“There has been an increase in anti-Semitism in Australia since October 7,” he said, calling on the government to crack down on violent incitement.

Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the “violent attack” in Sydney on Sunday.

“We condemn the violent attack in Sydney, Australia. Terrorism and killings are rejected and condemned wherever they occur,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baqa’i told X.

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