Naveed Akram (Australian)
Australian prisoner, charged with terrorism and 15 murders
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Naveed Akram (born 12 August 2001, Sydney, Australia) allegedly carried out a mass shooting at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025, with his father Sajid Akram. Both men were shot at the scene by New South Wales Police, and his father was killed. Naveed Akram survived after first aid from police and further medical care at a Sydney hospital. He is currently imprisoned at Goulburn Correctional Centre awaiting trial.
Naveed Akram | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 August 2001 |
| Citizenship | Australia |
| Occupation | Bricklayer |
| Known for | Alleged gunman in the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting |
Criminal charges | 59 counts
|
Criminal status | Imprisoned; awaiting trial |
| Father | Sajid Akram (alleged accomplice) |
Early life and family
Mother
Akram was born in Sydney, Australia on 12 August 2001.[1][2] Akram and his mother are both Australian-born citizens, and his father was an Australian permanent resident.[3][4] Akram's mother's family were devoutly religious Catholics, who migrated to Australia from Italy.[5]
Father
Naveed's father was Sajid Akram (10 February 1975).[6] Sajid was shot and killed by police at the scene of the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting.[7] He migrated to Australia in 1998 on a student visa[8][9][10] and later obtained a resident return visa.[11] Sajid had no "adverse record" prior to his emigration, and his family in India appeared to be unaware of his "radical mindset or activities".[12] Sajid was from an affluent family in a non-fundamentalist Muslim community in Hyderabad, India.[5][13] His brother, who lives in Hyderabad, said that his family in India cut ties with him after he married a Christian Italian-Australian woman, Naveed's mother, in 2001.[14][7][8][15] Sajid was estranged from Naveed's mother at the time of the attack.[7][13] Associates of Sajid described him as a controlling father and husband, and very secretive.[5][13]
Parents' marriage
According to the ABC's Background Briefing, Naveed's parents eloped in secret without telling his mother's parents; Naveed's maternal grandfather found this hurtful.[5] According to the Australian home affairs minister, Tony Burke, he transferred to a partner visa in 2001 and later obtained a resident return visa because he was an Australian permanent resident.[16]
Education and personal life
Akram left Cabramatta High School before the end of year 12 to start a job as a bricklayer.[17][additional citation(s) needed]
After the Bondi attack, The Jerusalem Post reported that there was nothing on his social media profiles that indicated his beliefs.[18]
ASIO investigations and watchlist
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) director-general, Mike Burgess stated that Naveed was known to ASIO in 2019.[19] This was most likely in association with a July 2019 investigation into Islamic State's Sydney cell leader, Isaac El Matari.[19] Naveed followed radical Islamic preacher William Haddad (known as "Wissam Haddad" and "Abu Ousayd"),[20] who was found to have violated Australia's racial hatred laws in July 2025.[21][22][23] Several men linked to Haddad have been convicted of terrorism-related offences, but none had carried out attacks.[24] Naveed was investigated in relation to these connections and authorities concluded he was not a high-risk member of the network.[25][26] In response to a Four Corners investigation in 2026, ASIO defended their 2019 investigation and criticised a former undercover agent the ABC used as a source.[27]
Firearms
Naveed's father had a firearms licence, was the registered owner of six guns, and was a member of a shooting club, Zastava Hunting Association.[28][29][30] Naveed had trained at the same shooting club.[31][30] The Serbian Times said the Naveed had a membership card, but quoted the Zastava club president as saying "we haven't seen him for five years".[32] According to Akram's maternal uncle, Akram's father first expressed an interest in obtaining a gun license in 2010.[5]
Bondi Beach shooting
Akram and his father – then aged 24 and 50 – were allegedly the two gunmen who carried out the Bondi Beach shooting on 14 December 2025.[33][34][3] At the time of the attack Sajid was a fruit shop owner and Naveed had recently left his bricklaying job.[35] Australian National University (ANU) radicalisation expert Clarke Jones said that it is unusual for a father and son to attack together, he said that in all the cases he had seen, "families are the protective factors, the ones who minimise the chances of a young person going out and doing crazy stuff". However, Levi West, an ANU expert in countering violent extremism, said "If the two are on board, they are driving each other."[36] The ABC's Background Briefing reported that Naveed might have been radicalised by his father.[5][13]
Injuries and medical care
After being shot at the scene, Naveed was hospitalised in critical condition and woke from a coma two days later on 17 December.[24] He is being held on remand in Goulburn Supermax, having been charged with 59 offences, including 15 murders.[37]
On the Monday after the Bondi attack, Naveed was transferred from hospital to prison.[38][better source needed]
Motive and manifesto
Police alleged that Akram and his father pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a manifesto video found on Akram's phone.[39]
Impact on family
Akram's mother and siblings have received death threats and aggressive harassment since Akram and his father were identified as the only suspects in the Bondi Beach attack.[40]
Criminal proceedings
Naveed Akram did not apply for bail.[41] Criminal proceedings are scheduled to be held at Downing Centre Local Court.[42]
On 17 December, police charged Naveed Akram with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, one count of committing a terrorist act, and 40 counts of attempted murder. He did not request bail, and his court date was set for 8 April 2026.[43][44] Additional charges included discharging a firearm to cause grievous bodily harm, public display of prohibited terrorist symbols, and placing an explosive with intent to cause harm.[45] On 22 December 2025, Naveed was moved from Royal North Shore Hospital to Long Bay Correctional Centre.[46] On 5 January 2026, he was transferred to Goulburn Correctional Centre, a supermax prison.[47]
On 16 February, Naveed appeared by video link for a court status mention hearing. He said little, only acknowledging that he had heard what was said in court.[48][49]
In March 2026, Naveed sought a court order to prevent publication of details about his mother, brother and sister, including their names, addresses and workplaces.[50] The application was declined on 2 April 2026.[51]
See also
- Jake Bilardi – Australian teenager who carried out a suicide attack in Iraq
- List of mass shootings in Australia