How Bondi’s Hanukkah celebration shifted from bliss to nightmare in just moments

It was an evening that was expected to bring “happiness and brightness” to Sydney’s renowned Bondi Beach as throngs of Jewish families congregated at a park to honor the inaugural night of Hanukkah, also referred to as the festival of light.

They were among many other swimmers, surfers, and sunbathers who had converged on Australia’s most famous beach during a scorching summer day.

However, shortly after the Hanukkah festivities commenced at 17:00 local time and the first complimentary donuts were distributed, the cheerful music was overshadowed by piercing screams and the resounding cracks of gunfire.

It is uncertain exactly when the initial shot was discharged, but the first report to authorities was made at 18:47. In the ensuing moments, two assailants reportedly took the lives of at least 15 individuals and wounded many others, according to officials.

A local school educator, Chavi, recounted to the BBC that she fell to the ground to shield her infant as “bullets were flying above us”.

“It was complete anarchy and disorder,” another participant, who referred to himself as Barry, remarked while he recounted observing a mass of people trying to flee the scene that had abruptly spiraled into a horror.

In one video authenticated by the BBC, the upbeat sounds from the Hanukkah celebration are still audible as individuals duck for cover and gunfire erupts, punctuated by screams.

The unsettlingly cheerful music persists while the camera sweeps over the grass, displaying motionless bodies, their well-being uncertain.

Other footage reveals clusters of people lying on top of each other in the grass, as one woman attempts to shield a young child’s head with her hand.

Panic rapidly transitioned from the park to the shoreline, where videos capture frightened beachgoers racing away from the gunfire.

Screams, blaring car horns, and ambulance sirens permeate the atmosphere in the following chaotic moments. Witnesses told the BBC that some vehicles collided as individuals frantically attempted to escape.

A nearly 11-minute video, validated by the BBC, seems to provide the most definitive timeline of the assault – although it’s unclear when the recording actually commenced.

It commences as the two assailants traverse Campbell Parade – the lengthy road fringed with cafes that curves around the beach – and ascends a pedestrian bridge above the park where the Hanukkah festivities were happening.

From that vantage point, two individuals – identified as Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24 – allegedly employ the raised position to carry out the rest of the assault, utilizing what an expert disclosed to the BBC were “two sporting shotguns”.

One individual, presumed to be Naveed Akram, stays on the bridge, while the other proceeds towards the park on foot. Gunfire reverberates at one-second intervals in some of the recordings, accompanied by the sounds of people shrieking.

As the older man, assumed to be Sajid Akram, starts to vacate the bridge, he opens fire at civilians.

Merely a few moments later, a bystander – who is observed crouching behind parked vehicles – surprises Sajid and manages to wrest the firearm from him within moments.

The assailant falters away, and the individual, who has been recognized as Ahmed al Ahmed, aims the weapon at him before laying it against a tree and raising his hands to indicate to law enforcement that he is not the suspect.

Ahmed, who sustained two gunshot wounds during the assault, has been celebrated as a hero and acknowledged by New South Wales Premier Chris Minns for preserving “countless lives” through his courageous actions.

However, less than a minute after being disarmed, Sajid Akram returns to the bridge and recommences firing at individuals with a different weapon.

The gunfire ceases roughly two minutes later, appearing as both individuals are struck by police rounds.

Approximately seven-and-a-half minutes into the footage, law enforcement arrives at the bridge where they confront a highly volatile scene – two men with gunshot injuries – the suspected assailants – and a gathering of witnesses, some of whom seem to kick the men on the ground.

Authorities later confirmed that one of the shooters, Sajid Akram, was found deceased at the site, while the other was critically injured and transported to the hospital, where he remains.

Authorities state that both individuals resided about an hour’s drive from Bondi Beach in a house located in Bonnyrigg, a suburb in western Sydney.

However, just days prior to the assault, they reportedly relocated to a short-term rental in Campsie – approximately 30 minutes closer to the beach, according to media reports.

Their family residence in Bonnyrigg has become a central element of the police investigation. Officers conducted a raid on the property on Sunday night.

Footage from the raid depicts three individuals exiting the residence with their hands raised, as heavily armed officers in tactical gear surrounded the area.

Those individuals were apprehended but have since been released without any charges.

It remains uncertain whether the firearms utilized in the incident were possessed by the two men, although Sajid Akram had six registered guns and a recreational firearms license.

Naveed, his son, was scrutinized due to his close connections with an Islamic State (IS) cell based in Sydney after authorities became aware of his associations in 2019, as reported by ABC.

However, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that an “evaluation determined there was no indication of any ongoing threat or risk of him engaging in violence”.

Residents on what is typically a tranquil suburban avenue have detailed how the upheaval of the past 48 hours has disturbed the community.

“My daughter was shouting at me, ‘mum look outside’ and I saw numerous police, many cars, sirens, and loudspeakers urging them to come out,” Lemanatua Fatu, who lives across from the men, informed the BBC.

“Then I observed the news – I thought oh my goodness, it can’t be them.”

Additional reporting by Gabriela Pomeroy and Thomas Spencer