Australia woke up to a nightmare on December 14 when gunmen opened fire at a Chanukah by the Sea celebration at Bondi Beach, killing 15 innocent Australians and wounding dozens more. This was not a random act of violence but a targeted attack on the Jewish community during a sacred holiday, carried out in one of the nation’s most iconic public spaces. The scale of this atrocity demands clarity and candor about who did this and why.
Police and federal authorities have said the attack was inspired by Islamic State ideology, and investigators recovered homemade ISIS flags and improvised explosive devices at the scene and in a vehicle connected to the suspects. Those are brutal, unmistakable hallmarks of Islamist terror, not mere rhetoric or grievance, and Australians deserve straight answers about how extremist symbols and IEDs ended up on our beaches. We must call this what it is: an act of extremist terror aimed at murdering Jewish families and children.
Authorities identified the alleged shooters as a father and son, Sajid and Naveed Akram, with the elder killed in an exchange with police and the younger in custody and gravely injured. Reports indicate one of the men had previously come to the attention of ASIO back in 2019, yet was not placed on a watch list because officials assessed he posed no ongoing threat. If prior investigations flagged potential extremist links, every Australian will rightly ask why that intelligence did not prevent this slaughter.
Even more disturbing is that the older suspect legally held six firearms, acquired under the current licensing regime, and that the pair had recently traveled to the Philippines, which investigators say they are probing for possible connections to militant groups. Australia — a nation that acted decisively on gun control after Port Arthur — must now confront uncomfortable questions about enforcement, vetting, and loopholes that allowed licensed weapons into the hands of killers. This is not an argument for reflexive surrender of liberty; it is a call for sensible, honest accountability and stronger safeguards.
Sydney’s leaders and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have rightly condemned this as antisemitic terror, but words are not enough. For months critics have warned that political correctness and soft approaches to ideology-based violence would come at a cost. Now we have seen that cost in blood; the government must stop politicking and start actioning policies that keep our communities safe.
Conservative Americans and Australians alike should demand a thorough, transparent review of intelligence failures, gun licensing procedures, and border policies that may have enabled these attackers’ movements. If the younger suspect was indeed known to ASIO in 2019, as officials have admitted, then the public deserves a clear accounting of what was learned, why no sustained restrictions were imposed, and what reforms will prevent any repeat. Secrecy and spin will not bring back the dead or reassure the terrified.
This is also a moment to stand unequivocally with the Jewish community and to reject the coddling of extremist ideology under any pretext. Political leaders who wring their hands about “hate” while ignoring the violent doctrines that inspire mass murder are failing in the most elemental duty of government: to protect citizens. Public policy must reflect that priority, with increased security for places of worship, better funding for counterterrorism units, and swift legal tools to remove dangerous individuals from public life.
We should praise the courage of the ordinary Australians who ran toward danger to help others and disarmed one of the attackers, and we should honor the victims by demanding change. Let this tragedy be a turning point — not a reason for virtue-signaling platitudes, but for concrete reforms that restore safety, enforce the rule of law, and confront Islamist extremism wherever it takes root. The response must be firm, relentless, and unapologetically pro-American and pro-Australian in defense of our shared values.
Enough with soft-on-threat policies and opaque investigations; hardworking families deserve protection, not platitudes. The time for excuses is over — politicians must stop blaming society in general and start delivering justice, security, and common-sense reforms that put community safety first. Our prayers are with the victims, and our resolve must be to ensure no Australian ever faces such horror again.
