Australian leaders dodge questions over how Bondi shooter was licensed gun carrier

PM, minister back authorities when asked why older terrorist legally held six guns despite probe of son by domestic intelligence; leaders back strengthening gun control laws

By Michael Horovitz

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and AP 15 December 2025, 8:45 pm

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Australian leaders on Monday were evasive when asked why one of the perpetrators of a deadly antisemitic terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach was permitted to hold six guns despite his son, the second perpetrator, reportedly having been investigated in the past over suspected ties to ISIS.

Pressed on whether the 2019 investigation into Naveed Akram, 24, should have raised red flags over his father Sajid’s firearm ownership, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was important that “the authorities be enabled to do their work.”

“That’s what we have done. I’ve reported to you accurately ASIO’s advice, including the timelines, which were done in 2019. The assessment was made because of the son’s associations that he had at that time, and the investigation went for a period of six months,” Albanese told reporters at a press conference in Sydney, refusing to expand on the so-called associations.

The mass shooting on Sunday evening targeted a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach. At least 15 people were killed in the terror attack, which has fueled criticism that authorities are not doing enough to combat a surge in antisemitic crimes in the country.

Police shot the two gunmen. The 50-year-old father died at the scene. His son remained in a coma in the hospital on Monday, Albanese said.

Australia’s ABC News reported on Monday that Naveed had been investigated by ASIO, the country’s domestic intelligence agency, for his close ties to an ISIS cell, citing an unnamed official.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese walks with police officers after laying flowers on December 15, 2025, at the Bondi Pavilion at the scene of a terror attack on a Jewish event. (Handout / AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE / AFP)

According to the official, Naveed was close to members of the cell, including Isaac El Matari, an ISIS terrorist arrested that year, who identified himself as the group’s head in Australia. Matari is serving a seven-year prison sentence.

Albanese said the agency was interested in the cell members other than Akram.

“He was examined on the basis of being associated with others, and the assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence,” Albanese said.

Asked by a reporter if ASIO should have told police about the investigation so that they could check if a close relative was a licensed gun owner, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke gave backing to authorities.

“I’ve got full support, full support, for our security agencies. And part of making sure that they can do their job is making sure that information is brought out in the way in which we are doing it right now,” he said at the press conference.

Naveed Akram, 24 (left), and his father Sajid, 50 (right), in images taken from a video obtained by Sky News showing their deadly terror attack on a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025. (Screen grab/Sky News)

The Australian government also vowed to immediately overhaul already-tough gun control laws after the attack.

Among the new measures proposed would be a limit on the number of guns a person can own and a review of licenses held over time. Those and other actions would represent a significant update to the landmark national firearms agreement that virtually banned rapid-fire rifles after a gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania in 1996, galvanizing the country into action.

“The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws,” Albanese said.

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a deadly terror shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, December 14, 2025. (AP/Mark Baker)

Leaders of the federal and state governments on Monday also proposed restricting gun ownership to Australian citizens, a measure that would have excluded Sajid Akram, who came to Australia in 1998 on a student visa and became a permanent resident after marrying a local woman. Officials would not confirm what country he had migrated from.

His son Naveed, who does not have a gun license, is an Australian-born citizen.

The government leaders also proposed the “additional use of criminal intelligence” in deciding who was eligible for a gun license. That could mean the son’s suspicious associates could disqualify the father from owning a gun.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said his state’s gun laws would change, but he could not yet detail how.

“If you’re not a farmer, you’re not involved in agriculture, why do you need these massive weapons that put the public in danger and make life dangerous and difficult for New South Wales Police?” Minns asked.