Bondi shooting as it happened: Shooter Naveed Akram’s terror links revealed as police investigate manifesto; Howard slams gun reform as ‘diversion’

Thank you for reading our live coverage of the aftermath following Sunday’s terrorist attack on Bondi Beach. Here’s what we know:

• Twenty-two people remain in hospital as of 8pm, and three are in a critical condition, with six critical but stable. Fifteen innocent victims were killed and dozens more injured when Sajid Akram, 50, and son Naveed, 24, opened fire at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach in Sydney’s east on Sunday evening.
• The incident is being treated as a terrorist attack. Police have confirmed two Islamic State flags were found alongside explosive devices in the shooters’ car.
• Boris and Sofia Gurman have been identified as the first two victims. The couple confronted Sajid Akram after he emerged with a rifle from a car with an ISIS flag draped across its windshield.
• Edith Brutman, the vice-president of a Jewish anti-discrimination organisation and described as a “gracious” and “passionate” woman, has also been identified as one of the victims.
• Also among the dead are a 10-year-old girl, Matilda, assistant rabbi Eli Schlanger, French national Dan Elkayam, rabbi Yaakov Levitan, Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, businessman Reuven Morrison, retired police officer Peter Meagher, grandfather Tibor Weitzen and dedicated volunteer Marika Pogany.
• Two police officers sustained gunshot wounds and remain in hospital. They have been identified as Constable Scott Dyson and Probationary Constable Jack Hibbert.
• Police say they intend to charge Naveed Akram, who has since come out of coma. Sajid Akram was shot by police on Sunday and died at the scene.
• Officers are investigating a trip the pair took to the Philippines in November. Naveed previously came to ASIO’s attention in 2019. Sajid legally owned six firearms and belonged to a recreational gun club.
• NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said Sajid acquired the guns under a licence issued in 2023, not 2015 as authorities originally stated.
• Premier Chris Minns and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have both vowed to strengthen gun laws.
• Both leaders visited Ahmed al Ahmed, the man who tackled and disarmed Sajid, in hospital. The prime minister called him “a true Australian hero”.
• A sea of flowers has been growing outside Bondi Pavilion as thousands of people pay their respects. Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, visited the site this morning, followed by political figures including John Howard, Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce.
• People across NSW have made a record number of blood and plasma donations but more are needed.

We will be back with live coverage and updates from Wednesday morning.

Shadow Minister for Small Business Tim James has said he is open to reconsidering NSW’s gun laws after Premier Chris Minns declared he wants to bring in the toughest gun restrictions in Australia in the wake of the Bondi shooting.

“Obviously, I want to see what’s on the table. Clearly, there have been failures here with respect to the existing laws, breaches of laws or failures of laws, or some combination of them both,” James said at a gathering of the Jewish community at Chabad North Shore.

“But I will say this, it is much, much more than about gun laws. It is about culture. It is about leadership. It is about rampant antisemitism in Australia, which is wrong and should be absolutely stamped out.

“It is also about the character, integrity and conduct of people coming to these shores and this country has to do a better job of ensuring that we keep our people safe through every means available to us.”

Hundreds of Jews gathered at Chabad North Shore in St Ives on Tuesday night to mourn, pray, dance and sing in memorial for their fallen friends, loved ones and leaders killed in the Bondi attack.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger, among those killed, was remembered as the “hero of that night”.

“You see, as the gunshots rang out … Eli was there trying to co-ordinate the situation, keeping people safe. He didn’t run away. He didn’t hide. He was right there in the centre of things,” said Rabbi Mendy Schapiro.

“He wasn’t shot straight away. He was trying to save his community and save his flock until he was tragically taken.”

Rabbi Schlanger was remembered as a man who would travel “nine hours to visit one Jew in a lost prison” in his work as a prison chaplain.

“He cared about every single Jew, and he went out of his way to be there for everyone.”

We have had an update from NSW Health on the wounded. Twenty-two patients are receiving care in hospitals as of 8pm. Here’s a breakdown:

• One patient is in a stable condition at Prince of Wales Hospital.
• One patient is in a critical but stable condition, and one patient is in a stable condition at St George Hospital.
• One patient is in a stable condition at Sydney Eye Hospital.
• Two patients are in a critical condition and three patients are in a critical but stable condition at St Vincent’s Hospital
• One patient is in a critical condition, two patients are in a critical but stable condition and three patients are stable at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
• Two patients are in a stable condition at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick.
• Three patients are in a stable condition at Royal North Shore Hospital.
• Two patients are in a stable condition at Liverpool Hospital.