Breaking News: Latest Updates on the Bondi Beach Shooting Incident

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A father and son were behind the mass shooting at Bondi Beach, which left 16 people dead, including Jewish worshippers marking the Hanukkah religious event, police have stated.

A workmate of the younger alleged shooter has described him as “weird” and someone who would keep to himself at work, but in his view didn’t show signs of extremism or a desire to hurt others.

The pair, brandishing long-arm rifles, are alleged to have fired at members of the public at the iconic Sydney beach on Sunday evening, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more, in what has been declared a terrorist incident.

The total death toll is 16, with one of the two alleged gunmen having died at the scene after being shot by police.

Gunfire erupted just before 6:43 pm AEDT during a Hanukkah event where approximately 1,000 Jewish individuals had gathered, according to police reports. Authorities have yet to officially disclose the identities of the assailants involved in the attack.

At the scene of this tragic incident, law enforcement officials recovered six firearms. The mass shooting has drawn significant attention, with ABC News providing coverage and images from the site.

One of the alleged gunmen is reported to be Naveed Akram.

During a press briefing on Monday morning, NSW Police revealed that the gunmen were a father and son duo, aged 50 and 24, respectively. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) further disclosed that one of the individuals, presumably the son, had been on their radar. However, he was not considered an immediate threat.

A snapshot from an ABC News broadcast on the Bondi shooting showing a person's legs with weapons on the ground. A ticker is running at the bottom.

Six guns were collected at the scene of the mass shooting. Source: ABC News / Supplied/ AAP

NSW Police said in a press conference on Monday morning the shooters are a father and son aged 50 and 24 years old.

The 24-year-old is currently in hospital. The father was killed at the scene.

They lived in an address in the western Sydney suburb of Bonnyrigg but were staying at an address in Campsie, in Sydney’s south-west, at the time. Both properties have been raided.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation has confirmed one of the men, believed to be the son, was known to the domestic spy agency, but “not in an immediate threat perspective”.

A ‘weird operator’, workmate says

Lochie, a 28-year-old bricklayer, worked with the 24-year-old for the past five years.

He described him as “a weird operator” and quiet, but never showed signs of radicalisation or extremism.

Lochie said the gunman called the boss of their employer at a Sydney commercial bricklaying business last month to say he would be returning in the new year after an injury to his hand.

A man in a black t shirt and cap and sitting on a park bench

Lochie worked with the alleged 24-year-old gunmen at a bricklaying company in Sydney for around five years. Credit: SBS

Before he left work, Lochie claimed the alleged gunman had told another workmate he “wanted to be remembered”.

“It was a weird thing to say … but didn’t think twice about it because that’s just how he was. He was a weird operator.”

Akram was “self-proclaimed” as not having many friends, Lochie said, and would mostly keep to himself at work.

But they would occasionally discuss the alleged attacker’s hobbies, which Lochie said included hunting, boxing and fishing.

“He used to go hunting rabbits and roos [kangaroos] and stuff recreationally. We’d chat about that,” Lochie said.

“But yeah, there was no, he’d never say I want to hurt people or anything like that.”

What was the motive for the attack?

It’s unclear as yet but NSW Police said it will look at the motives behind the attack, vowing that its investigation will be “thorough”.

NSW Police commissioner Mal Lanyon said on Monday there was “no indication” that either of the men involved in the attack had been planning the attack.

“We want to understand the motives behind it. We certainly want to understand the actions that have happened,” he said.

Why did they have guns?

Police say the 50-year-old man was a licensed firearms holder, with six guns licenced to him.

The six guns were collected from the scene yesterday.

Lanyon said on Monday afternoon that the man met the eligibility criteria for a licence and that it was a recreational hunting licence. He said that he was a member of a gun club and was entitled under the Firearms Act to have a licence issued.

According to Lanyon, it was a category AB licence, which entitled him to have the long-barreled weapons that were recovered.

What charges could the gunman face?

In relation to charging the 24-year-old, Lanyon said that “based on his medical condition, it is likely that person may face criminal charges”.

He also called for calm, saying “retribution or acts against any part of any community will not be accepted”.

“We will have a significant policing presence. This is a time for the community to come together. This is a time that police will take action to make sure the community feels safe.”