Everything we know about the Bondi Beach shooting victims

Unemployed bricklayer Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, Sajid Akram, 50, are suspected by Australian authorities of carrying out the shooting. Sajid died at the scene while Naveed has been arrested and taken to hospita, where he remains in a critical but stable condition.

Australian home affairs minister Tony Burke said Sajid came to Australia on a student visa in 1998 but would not say what country.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese said Naveed is an Australian-born citizen who has been monitored by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation since October 2019. Police are probing possible links to Islamic State.

The shooting lasted 10-minutes before it was brought to a close by police and a hero bystander, Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, who ran at one shooter and stole his rifle.

Here’s what we know so far about the victims.

Who are the victims of the Sydney terror attack?

Ten-year-old Matilda, whose surname has been withheld at the request of the family according to The Sydney Morning Herald, was the youngest victim.

Matilda was described by her aunt Lina as a “happy, bright” girl. “She’d always kiss me, cuddle me and give me the energy … to be happy,” she said.

“I will never see her smile again, only in my photographs.”

A GoFundMe page has also been created for Matilda by her language teacher Irina Goodhew, who described Matilda as a “bright, joyful, and spirited child”.

The first victim to be named was London-born rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, who was remembered as a man with a “heart of gold” who wanted to “spread happiness and light”. The Times reported his youngest son was born just two months ago.

82-year-old grandmother Marika Pogany who lived in Sydney’s Rose Bay is another victim, who has been described as “kind, warm and deeply loved”.

Well known local photographer Peter Meagher, who is also a member of the Randwick Rugby club and a former police officer according to The Sydney Daily Telegraph, also died in the shooting.

Meagher, known fondly around the club as “Marzo”, was “at the wrong place at the wrong time”, a Randwick statement said.

Tibor Weitzen was also shot while reportedly shielding his wife from the gunfire as they celebrated Hanukkah. He later died in hospital due to the severity of his injuries.

Grandfather and Ukrainian-Australian Alex Kleytman was killed while celebrating Hanukkah at the beach. He too tried to shield his wife of 50-years, according to Daily Mail Australia. The couple were both Holocaust survivors.

French national Dan Elkayam also died in the attack, French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said.

Grandfather Reuven Morrison also died at hospital. He had previously lived in Melbourne, Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann, a prominent rabbi in the city said, adding he was “heartbroken” by his death.

Rabbi Yaakov Levitan’s death was confirmed by Jewish news site Chabad. Describing him as a key organiser of “Chanukah by the Sea event, the site described him as an “irreplaceable leader of the community”. He previously served as secretary of the Sydney Beth Din and worked at the BINA Centre, according to news site Chabad.

What authorities have said

In response to the attack, prime minister Anthony Albanese held an emergency national cabinet – a meeting between the PM and all leaders of the Australian states and territories – where they agreed to strengthen gun laws across the country.

Australia holds a reputation for being strict on gun laws after the country’s worst mass shooting at Tasmania’s Port Arthur in 1996, prompting then-prime minister John Howard to introduce strict rules on gun ownership.

“The Howard government’s gun laws have made an enormous difference in Australia and a proud moment of reform … if we need to toughen these up, if there’s anything we can do, I’m certainly up for it,” Albanese said.

The national cabinet also pledged to “eradicate antisemitism, hate, violence and terrorism”.

NSW police commissioner Mal Lanyon said the surviving shooter would potentially face criminal charges while promising a “very thorough and transparent investigation” into the massacre.