New evidence presented in an Australian court has revealed that homemade explosive devices were thrown at a crowd shortly before the deadly mass shooting at Bondi Beach, but the bombs failed to detonate, police said on Monday.
Court documents show that the alleged attackers — 24-year-old Naveed Akram and his 50-year-old father Sajid Akram — hurled multiple improvised bombs toward people attending a Hanukkah celebration at Archer Park on December 14, moments before opening fire. While none of the devices exploded, investigators later confirmed that they were viable improvised explosive devices.
The attack, which targeted the “Chanukah by the Sea” event at Bondi Beach, left 15 people dead and dozens injured, making it one of Australia’s deadliest mass shootings in decades. Authorities have described the incident as a terrorist act, citing extremist motives linked to Islamic State ideology.
Police told the court that the devices included pipe bombs and a small “tennis ball bomb”, designed to increase casualties, but none detonated when thrown into the crowd. Investigators also recovered additional improvised explosives and weapons in a vehicle connected to the suspects, indicating the attack had been meticulously planned.
Evidence presented in court indicated that the father-son duo had been preparing for months, including firearms training in rural New South Wales and recording videos expressing extremist views. Naveed Akram faces 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act, while his father, Sajid, was killed by police during the attack.
The revelations come as New South Wales and national authorities face renewed calls to tighten gun laws and strengthen counter-terrorism measures. The court will continue to hear details of the prosecution’s case in the coming months, with the next hearings scheduled for 2026.
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