In the months leading up to the deadly terror attack on a Jewish event at Sydney’s Bondi beach, the alleged shooters allegedly filmed an Islamic State-inspired video, made pipe bombs and trained with firearms, possibly in rural New South Wales.
As police put it in court documents released on Monday, there is evidence that the father-son pair “meticulously planned this terrorist attack for many months”.
Here’s what happened in the lead-up to the 14 December attacks in which 15 people were killed and dozens more were injured.
October 2025
A video recorded in October which was found on Naveed Akram’s phone shows he and his father, Sajid, sitting in front of an image of the IS flag, according to a police fact sheet.
Police allege that Naveed – appearing with four long-arm firearms – appears to recite in Arabic a passage from the Qur’an in the video, before he and his father go on to make in English several statements about why they planned to commit the Bondi attack.
Another clip, also recorded in October, allegedly shows the father and son training with firearms in a rural setting, suspected to be located in New South Wales. The clips show them firing shotguns and “moving in a tactical manner”, according to the document.
20 October 2025
Naveed Akram allegedly rents a room in a Airbnb property in Campsie, a suburb in Sydney, court documents state. He books the room from 2 December to 21 December 2025.
1 November to 28 November 2025
Sajid and Naveed Akram arrived in the Philippines on 1 November and left on 28 November, according to Philippine authorities. They appear to have stayed the whole time in a hotel in Davao City, although their movements remain under investigation.
12 December 2025
Late on Friday night, two days before the attack, the pair allegedly travelled to the car park near Archer Park at Bondi. CCTV footage is said to capture them walking along the footbridge. Police allege this was a “reconnaissance” visit.
According to the police facts, Naveed’s mother believed the pair were on holiday in southern NSW and had departed about one week before the attacks. She said each morning during that week Naveed called her from a payphone and discussed what he planned to do that day.
14 December
2.16am
CCTV footage allegedly shows Naveed and his father leaving an Airbnb property in Campsie at 2.16am on 14 December, carrying “long and bulky items” wrapped in blankets, which are then placed into a silver Hyundai.
Police allege these items included two single-barrel shotguns, a Beretta rifle and homemade improvised explosive devices – described as three pipe bombs and one tennis ball bomb, as well as a large IED bomb – and two IS flags. The pair then return to the property.
5.09pm
CCTV footage allegedly captures the father and son leaving the Campsie house and driving towards Bondi. Sajid wears a black T-shirt and white pants, while Naveed wears a black T-shirt and black pants.
5.57pm
Video footage captures the pair’s silver Hyundai driving past Centennial Park on the way to Bondi.
5.58pm
CCTV allegedly captures the pair’s vehicle parked for about 20 minutes at a location on Ocean Street in Woollahra. Sajid can be seen exiting the front passenger seat, and then moving to the boot of the vehicle, where a black Islamic State flag is visible.
The car does a U-turn and then travels towards Syd Einfeld Drive.
About 6.50pm
The pair allegedly park on Campbell Parade in Bondi, near the footbridge that leads to Archer Park, according to court documents.
Naveed and Sajid Akram allegedly begin their attack on Chanukah by the Sea 2025 at Archer Park at Bondi Beach, leaving 15 dead and dozens wounded. The police allege the attack started about 6.50pm. Various other sources have indicated it started shortly before this time.
Sajid Akram is killed at the scene. Naveed Akram is taken to hospital with critical injuries after being shot in the abdomen and is placed under arrest. He is later charged with 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist attack.
Police later search the family home in Bonnyrigg, another suburb in Sydney, where a number of items are seized, including a homemade firearm, a long bow with 12 arrows and a copy of the Qur’an with passages highlighted. The next day, police search the Campsie premises where they allegedly find a rifle, a shotgun and bomb-making equipment.
