‘Anyone would wish to have a son like my son’: Bondi Beach shooter’s mother says he spoke to her hours before attack

Bondi Beach shooter’s mother says son spoke to her hours before attack, calls him a ‘good boy’

The two men behind the deadly Bondi Beach shooting have been identified as a father and son who had told their family they were heading out on a fishing trip, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The attack, which took place near a Hanukkah celebration, left 16 people dead, including a child, after gunmen opened fire on hundreds gathered at the Jewish festival. Australian authorities have described the incident as a targeted antisemitic terror attack.

Police said the attackers were 50-year-old Sajid Akram, a fruit shop owner who was shot dead at the scene, and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram. Naveed was taken into custody and remains in hospital under police guard in a critical but stable condition.

As police surrounded the family’s home in Bonnyrigg, western Sydney, Naveed’s mother, Verena, spoke to the media about her last conversation with her son, which took place just hours before the shooting.

“He rings me up [on Sunday] and said, Mum, I just went for a swim. I went scuba diving. We’re going … to eat now, and then this morning, and we’re going to stay home now because it’s very hot,” she said.

Verena said she could not believe her son was involved in violence or extremism and insisted he did not own a firearm.

“He doesn’t have a firearm. He doesn’t even go out. He doesn’t mix around with friends. He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t go to bad places … he goes to work, he comes home, he goes to exercise, and that’s it,” she said. “Anyone would wish to have a son like my son … he’s a good boy.”

According to reports, Naveed Akram had previously completed Koran studies at the Al-Murad Institute in Heckenberg, Sydney. He lived with his parents and younger siblings in a three-bedroom home purchased in 2024.

His mother said Naveed enjoyed fishing, swimming, scuba diving, and exercising, and had been laid off from his construction job two months ago after his employer became insolvent.

Investigators said the father and son had told relatives they were travelling to Jervis Bay, about 200 kilometres south of Sydney, for a fishing trip over the weekend.

Police remain stationed at the family home as investigations into the Bondi Beach attack continue.