New court documents have laid out disturbing fresh allegations about the Bondi Beach terror attack, including claims that the accused gunmen threw multiple homemade bombs: One disguised as a tennis ball, towards a crowd before opening fire at a Jewish community event.Also read: Australia probes security services after Bondi Beach attackNaveed Akram, 24, faces 59 charges over the Hanukkah By The Sea mass shooting on December 14, which left 15 people dead and dozens injured. His father, Sajid Akram, 50, the alleged second gunman, was shot dead by police at the scene. Naveed Akram was wounded, placed in a coma and taken into custody after waking last week.
A newly released police fact sheet, tendered in court after a partial suppression order was lifted, alleges the father and son acted together in a meticulously planned terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State ideology.Also read: Suspect Sajid Akram’s Hyderabad roots traced; cops rule out radicalisation in India
According to the court documents, investigators believe the pair were carrying three pipe bombs and a fourth device fashioned from a tennis ball — all described as “viable improvised explosive devices,” Australian news outlet, News AU reported.Police allege the bombs were made using sealed aluminium piping filled with black powder and steel ball bearings. While none of the devices detonated, early analysis suggests they were capable of causing serious harm.
The fact sheet alleges the explosives were thrown towards people gathered near Archer Park moments before the shooting began, though it is not yet clear which of the two men is accused of throwing them.Chilling images of the alleged devices were revealed publicly for the first time this week, alongside allegations that the pair had brought multiple firearms to the scene.Police say the men travelled to Bondi in a silver Hyundai Elantra from an Airbnb in Campsie, loading two single-barrel shotguns, a Beretta rifle, Islamic State flags and the homemade explosives before setting off.Once parked on Campbell Parade, they allegedly placed IS flags inside the vehicle’s windscreens before moving towards the footbridge overlooking the beach.Moments later, police allege, the pair opened fire on the crowd, killing 14 people at the scene. A 15th victim later died in hospital.
Court documents also allege the attack site had been scouted in advance.CCTV footage from 12 December — two days before the shooting — allegedly shows Naveed Akram and his father visiting the same footbridge and surrounding car park late at night.
Police say the footage supports claims of “reconnaissance and planning of a terrorist act”.
“The accused and his father are seen to exit the vehicle and walk along the footbridge, being the same position where they attended two days later and shot at members of the public,” the fact sheet alleges.During the attack itself, CCTV footage captured the gunmen firing back at police. Two officers were seriously injured, including Probationary Constable Jack Hibbert, 22, who was blinded in one eye, and Constable Scott Dyson, 24, who required emergency surgery.
Police further allege that videos recovered from Naveed Akram’s phone show months of preparation.One clip, recorded in October, allegedly shows father and son conducting firearms training in a rural location believed to be in New South Wales. The pair are seen firing shotguns and moving “in a tactical manner”, according to the document.
Another video allegedly shows the two men seated in front of an image of an Islamic State flag, with four long-arm firearms visible behind them.
Police say Naveed Akram appears to recite a passage from the Qur’an before both men make statements outlining their political and religious motivations, including condemning “Zionists”.Investigators allege the pair acted in a joint criminal enterprise aimed at killing civilians and advancing an extremist ideological cause aligned with Islamic State.Naveed Akram faces charges including one count of committing a terrorist act, 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to murder, and offences relating to explosives, firearms and terrorist symbols. He is due to return to court in April.