Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram, stand accused of carrying out a terrorist attack aimed at the Jewish community celebrating the start of Hanukkah at Australia’s most frequented beach.

In a poignant public vigil, friends and family of the victims gathered to bid farewell amidst a growing memorial of flowers, candles, and messages of tribute.

Among the victims, 10-year-old Matilda was remembered with heartfelt tributes from her mourning family during a menorah lighting ceremony.

“I cannot fathom the cruelty of someone standing on that bridge, seeing a little girl running for her father to seek safety, and choosing to pull the trigger,” her mother expressed.

“This was no accidental shot; it was a deliberate act of violence aimed at her,” she added.

In the last 48 hours, authorities have identified twelve of the fifteen victims, whose ages range from 10 to 87.

In addition to Matilda, there was Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, Reuven Morrison, husband and wife Boris and Sofia Gurman, retired police officer Peter Meagher, rabbi Eli Schlanger, rabbi Yaakov Levitan, lifelong volunteer Marika Pogany, great-grandfather Tibor Weitzen, community service worker Edith Brutman, and French engineer Dan Elkayam.

Political figures like Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, Liberal MP Julian Leeser, One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson and her newest member Barnaby Joyce and former prime minister John Howard were among those who left tributes at the site.

While a number of shooting victims were discharged from hospital across the day, 22 people are still receiving treatment, in conditions ranging from critical to stable. 

Among those hospitalised is Ahmed El Ahmed, who is recovering from gunshot wounds after bravely disarming one of the gunmen.

He was visited in hospital by both Albanese and Minns, who both hailed him a “hero”.

Police probe terror links

As police question the surviving gunman, they are looking into his ties with terror organisation Islamic State (IS).

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon today revealed they found improvised explosive devices and two homemade IS flags in a car registered to the 24-year-old.

Naveed had flagged his extremist views when he was just 17 and preached on the streets of Bankstown, ahead of when he would appear on ASIO’s radar in 2019.

The security agency investigated him for six months following the arrest of Isaac el Matari, the self-appointed leader of IS in Australia, who is currently behind bars for planning to carry out a terror attack.

Lanyon said the father and son travelled to the Philippines last month, a known breeding ground for terrorists and extremists.

The Philippines Bureau of Immigration confirmed that the pair arrived in the Philippines together last month, on November 1, from Sydney.

They reported their final destination as Davao, a popular tourist site in the country’s south. However, it’s believed they may have been there for a military-style training program.

The Bureau said the pair left the country 28 days later on a connecting flight from Davao to Manila, with Sydney as their final destination.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she spoke with her Philippines counterpart about the accused gunmen and they will be assisting in the investigation of the incident.

The Akrams lived in Bonnyrigg but rented out an Airbnb in Campsie in the days before their attack.

Sajid was killed by responding police, while Naveed was in critical condition in hospital.

Authorities field questions and scrutiny

Today, grief turned into anger as police and the government fielded questions on their response and actions.

Lanyon was asked about whether officers on the scene failed to shoot at the gunmen when they arrived and whether they backed away.

He said officers were confronted by men with long firearms, while they only had pistols.

NSW Premier Chris Minns, who was also at the press conference, backed the officers and said they did not take a backward step.

“The offenders had long-range rifles, and NSW police officers were responsible for killing one of them and shooting the other one, and as a result saving many people’s lives,” he said.

“There are two officers in critical care in NSW hospitals at the moment. They weren’t shot in the back as they were running away. They were shot in the front.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also faced criticism from former leader John Howard.

Howard spoke at a press conference, saying Albanese and Wong had not done enough to prevent antisemitism.

“[Albanese’s] greatest failure is not to provide the moral leadership that a prime minister can in denouncing antisemitism,” he said.

“The impression I had was that every time he got onto the subject, he would equate it with discrimination generally.”

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, who was heckled at the memorial site in Bondi last night, defended the government’s response and said it was taking steps to combat antisemitism.

If you have been impacted by the terror attack in Bondi there is support available.