Australian authorities say a father and son accused of carrying out the deadly shooting at Sydneyโs Bondi Beach were motivated by extremist Islamic State (IS) ideology.
The attack, which killed 15 people, is the countryโs worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years.
Hereโs what investigators have confirmed so far โ and what questions remain unanswered.
WHAT WE KNOW
The suspects
Police identified the suspects as Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, who lived in the western Sydney suburb of Bonnyrigg.
Sajid Akram, a licensed gun owner, was killed during a shootout with police. Naveed Akram was wounded, taken into custody, and remains under police guard in a hospital.
Authorities say he is expected to face multiple serious charges.
Local media reported that Naveed worked as a bricklayer, while his father operated a fruit shop.
The attack
Authorities say the gunmen targeted Jewish Australians who were celebrating the first night of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach on Sunday.
Fifteen people were killed, making it Australiaโs deadliest mass shooting since the 1990s.
Police said there is no evidence at this stage that others were involved.
Evidence pointing to extremist ideology
Investigators say the attack was inspired by Islamic State ideology.
Police recovered two homemade Islamic State flags and improvised explosive devices from a vehicle registered to Naveed Akram.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the attack as driven by a โradical perversion of Islam,โ stressing that extremist ideology โ not religion โ was behind the violence.
Prior contact with security agencies
Authorities confirmed that Naveed Akram was previously known to Australian security services.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) investigated him for six months in 2019 due to his associations with two individuals who were later jailed on unrelated cases. The probe found no evidence of radicalization, and he was not placed under ongoing monitoring.
Sajid Akram was also interviewed during that investigation and showed no signs of extremism, Albanese said.
Travel to the Philippines
Police are now closely examining a recent trip to the Philippines, which authorities believe could be key to understanding how the suspects became radicalized.
Philippine immigration officials confirmed that the father and son arrived together on November 1, 2025, listing Davao City in southern Mindanao as their destination. They left the country on November 28, departing from Manila.
Mindanao has long been affected by insurgency and extremist violence and is home to militant groups such as Abu Sayyaf. Australian security agencies have previously described the Philippines as a hotspot for Islamic State East Asia, an IS-linked network.
Condemnation from Muslim leaders
An imam who taught Naveed Akram Quran recitation and Arabic in 2019 publicly condemned the attack.
โNot everyone who recites the Quran understands it or lives by its teachings,โ said Sheikh Adam Ismail, adding that he condemned the violence โwithout any hesitation.โ
WHAT WE DONโT KNOW
When and how the suspects were radicalized
Authorities have not yet determined when or where the father and son adopted extremist beliefs โ or whether their radicalization occurred before or after their 2019 ASIO assessment.
Investigators are now looking into whether Naveed Akram became radicalized after security agencies stopped monitoring him.
What they did in the Philippines
While officials confirmed the Akramsโ travel dates and destination, police have not disclosed where they went, who they met, or whether they had direct contact with extremist groups while in the Philippines.
Australian counterterrorism officials believe the pair may have undergone military-style training, but this has not yet been publicly substantiated.
Whether there were overseas links
Authorities say there is no evidence so far linking the suspects to an organized terrorist cell, either in Australia or abroad.
However, police are still investigating possible foreign connections, including whether they received guidance, training, or ideological reinforcement overseas.
Whether warning signs were missed
Police have rejected claims of an intelligence failure, saying no security alerts were triggered during the suspectsโ travel.
Still, questions remain about whether earlier warning signs โ including the fatherโs access to firearms โ should have prompted closer scrutiny.
What charges Naveed Akram will face
Authorities have yet to formally announce the full list of charges against Naveed Akram, pending further investigation and his medical condition.
Australian police say investigations are ongoing, with a focus on the suspectsโ movements, overseas travel, digital footprint, and possible extremist links.
Officials say more information will be released as inquiries continue.
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