Bondi Gunmen: Training & Explosives in Crowd – Court

The man accused of killing 15 people in the Bondi Beach attack conducted firearms training with his father and recorded a video outlining their justification for the attack, according to documents released by a Sydney court.

Bondi Attack: Firearms Training and Justification Video Revealed

Twenty-four-year-old Naveed Akram faces 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act, in connection with the attack. His father, Sajid, was shot dead by police.

A court previously issued a suppression order on a police statement of facts, but a redacted version has now been released. The documents allege that Akram and his father threw four improvised explosive devices (IEDs) toward a crowd gathered for a Jewish event in Archer Park upon arriving at the scene. None of the devices detonated.

One IED was discovered in the vehicle the pair drove from a rented property in Campsie to Bondi Beach.

The released documents detail a video in which Naveed Akram and his father articulate “political and religious views” and “appear to summarise their justification for the Bondi terrorist attack.” Investigators found “a number of relevant videos” on Akram’s phone, showing the pair allegedly adhering to a “religiously motivated violent extremism ideology.” Screenshots from these videos are included in the court documents.

A video dated late October shows the accused and his father “conducting firearms training in a countryside location, suspected to be in NSW.” The footage depicts them firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner.

Another video shows the men seated in front of an Islamic State flag, holding long-arm firearms. In this footage, Naveed Akram is recorded reciting a passage from the Quran in Arabic.

Following the recitation, both men speak in English, making statements regarding their motivation for the “Bondi attack” and condemning “Zionists.” They reiterate their political and religious views and summarize their justification for the attack.