Australian police have identified the two alleged gunmen behind the deadly shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach as a father and son, as the country mourns victims of its worst gun violence in almost three decades.

The attack on Sunday evening killed 15 people attending a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at a park near the famous beach. The older suspect, a 50-year-old man, was shot dead at the scene, bringing the total death toll to 16. His 24-year-old son remains in critical condition in hospital, police said on Monday.

Forensic officers examine a victim’s body at the scene of a shooting on a Jewish holiday celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia December 15, 2025. AAP/Dean Lewins via REUTERS

Local media identified the pair as Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram. Police did not officially release their names but confirmed the familial relationship at a press conference. Authorities have described the shooting as a targeted antisemitic attack.

Around 1,000 people were attending the event when the shooting erupted, lasting about 10 minutes and sending crowds fleeing across the sand and into nearby streets. Victims ranged in age from 10 to 87. Forty people remain in hospital, including two police officers who are in a serious but stable condition.

Witness video showed a bystander tackling and disarming one of the armed men during the attack. The man, identified by 7News Australia as Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old fruit shop owner, was shot twice and later underwent surgery. A fundraising page for him had raised more than A$350,000 by Monday afternoon.

Two people embrace as police officers stand guard outside Bondi Pavilion following the attack on a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Flavio Brancaleone

Police said the father had held a firearms licence since 2015 and owned six licensed weapons. Videos from the scene appeared to show the attackers using a bolt-action rifle and a shotgun. Investigators said they were still working through the background of both suspects and had not established a motive beyond the attack being targeted.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the father arrived in Australia on a student visa in 1998, while the son was an Australian-born citizen. Authorities confirmed they were confident only two attackers were involved, after initially checking whether a third person had played a role.

A heavy police presence surrounded the suspects’ home in Bonnyrigg, about 36 kilometres west of Sydney’s central business district, as investigators searched the property.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Bondi Beach on Monday to lay flowers at a growing memorial of candles, flowers, and Israeli and Australian flags. He described the shooting as “an act of pure evil” and “an act of antisemitism” and urged Australians to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community by lighting candles during Hanukkah.

A woman sits on the ground and reacts by a makeshift memorial following the attack on a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Flavio Brancaleone

World leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, offered condolences. Security was also stepped up at Jewish events in cities such as Berlin, London and New York.

Mass shootings are rare in Australia, which has strict gun laws. The Bondi attack was the deadliest since 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people at Port Arthur in Tasmania, marking a grim moment in the nation’s history and reigniting fears over rising antisemitic violence.