Newly released court documents have painted a chilling picture of the alleged extensive planning undertaken by a father and son in the lead-up to the deadly terrorist attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach last December. The assault on a Jewish event left 15 people dead and dozens more wounded.
Months of Meticulous Preparation
According to police allegations detailed in a fact sheet tendered to court, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed "meticulously planned this terrorist attack for many months". The evidence suggests a campaign of preparation that included creating propaganda, weapons training, and reconnaissance.
In October 2025, a video was allegedly recorded on Naveed Akram's phone. It reportedly showed the pair sitting before an Islamic State flag. Police claim Naveed, appearing with four long-arm firearms, recited a passage from the Qur'an in Arabic before both men made statements in English explaining their motives for the planned Bondi attack.
Another clip from the same month is said to show the duo training with firearms in a rural setting, believed to be in New South Wales. The footage allegedly depicts them firing shotguns and moving tactically.
International Travel and Local Logistics
The pair's movements in the weeks before the attack are detailed in the documents. On 20 October, Naveed Akram allegedly rented a room in an Airbnb property in the Sydney suburb of Campsie, booking it from 2 to 21 December.
Subsequently, from 1 November to 28 November 2025, Philippine authorities confirmed that Sajid and Naveed Akram were in the Philippines. They are believed to have spent the entire period in a hotel in Davao City, though their activities there remain under investigation.
Back in Sydney, two days before the attack on 12 December, the pair allegedly conducted a "reconnaissance" visit to the Bondi area. CCTV is said to have captured them walking along the footbridge near Archer Park, the site of the forthcoming Chanukah by the Sea event.
The Night of the Attack
The alleged timeline of the attack itself, on 14 December, is documented through CCTV and police evidence. In the early hours of 2.16am, the father and son were allegedly seen leaving the Campsie Airbnb carrying "long and bulky items" wrapped in blankets, which they placed into a silver Hyundai.
Police allege these items constituted their arsenal: two single-barrel shotguns, a Beretta rifle, three pipe bombs, one tennis ball bomb, a larger improvised explosive device (IED), and two Islamic State flags.
Later, at 5.09pm, CCTV captured them leaving the property and driving towards Bondi. Their vehicle was seen parked on Ocean Street in Woollahra around 5.58pm, where Sajid Akram was allegedly observed adjusting the boot, revealing a black IS flag inside.
By approximately 6.50pm, the pair had parked on Campbell Parade in Bondi. They then allegedly began their attack on the crowd at Archer Park. Sajid Akram was killed at the scene. Naveed Akram was shot in the abdomen, taken to hospital in a critical condition, and later arrested. He has been charged with 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist attack.
Aftermath and Investigations
In the aftermath, police searches of the family home in Bonnyrigg uncovered a cache of items including a homemade firearm, a long bow with arrows, and a copy of the Qur'an with highlighted passages. A subsequent search of the Campsie premises allegedly yielded a rifle, a shotgun, and bomb-making equipment.
The court documents lay bare the sobering scale of the alleged plot, indicating a prolonged and deliberate effort to execute a devastating act of terrorism on Australian soil.
