Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has issued a stark warning to those who promote hatred, glorify terrorism or incite violence, vowing deportation for non-citizens and arrest for Australian citizens if she becomes prime minister, following the deadly attack at Bondi Beach.
“My message to those who preach hatred, glorify terrorism or incite violence is very clear,” Ley said.
“If I am Prime Minister and you are not an Australian citizen, you will be deported. If I am Prime Minister and you are an Australian citizen, you will be arrested.”
Earlier, Ley said Australians were in “deep mourning” after hateful violence struck “at the heart of an iconic Australian community” during the Chanukah by the Sea celebration. She described the gathering as a moment of peace and hope that was “severed by hate”.
She said the loss of life was significant and joined Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in urging Australians to follow official advice from police and relevant authorities. Ley said her heart was with Australia’s Jewish community, particularly those in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, and acknowledged the swift and courageous response of New South Wales Police and paramedics.
“Those who ran towards the danger — everyday Australians, our police and paramedics — are heroes,” she said, offering the Coalition’s “full and unconditional support” to Commonwealth and state agencies responding to the tragedy.
Ley has also said gun reform “must be on the table”, signalling a shift after earlier avoiding whether the Coalition would back tighter firearm laws. She said “everything must be on the table when it comes to looking at reforms and weapons access”, as the Prime Minister vowed tougher gun control measures following the shooting.
In a separate statement, Ley said many Australians were angry that antisemitism had been allowed to take hold, citing attacks on synagogues, vandalism of public spaces, threats on university campuses and warnings from ASIO that antisemitism represents the greatest risk of loss of life from terrorism in Australia. She urged the government to fully implement its Antisemitism Envoy’s report, saying the Coalition stood ready to support decisive action to keep Australians safe.
Earlier, it was reported that the Indian authorities have firmly ruled out any India link to the radicalisation of the Bondi Beach attackers, saying the violence was neither planned nor influenced from India. In an official statement, Telangana Police confirmed that Sajid Akram, originally from Hyderabad, had no criminal or security record before leaving India in 1998 and maintained only limited family contact thereafter, with no signs of extremist beliefs.
Police said the factors leading to the radicalisation of Sajid and his Australian-born son, Naveed Akram, had “no connection whatsoever” to India or Telangana.
While Sajid retained an Indian passport, authorities stressed that his life, family and alleged extremist trajectory were rooted entirely overseas, with Australian investigators increasingly pointing to Islamic State–inspired ideology, a view echoed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as the attack was formally declared an act of terrorism.
Today, NSW Police have since charged the surviving alleged gunman, Naveed Akram, with 59 offences, including one count of committing a terrorist act, 15 counts of murder and dozens of serious wounding charges. He was charged from his hospital bed and bail was refused.
Thirteen of the 15 victims have now been formally identified, including French national Dan Elkayam, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, Alex Kleytman, Reuven Morrison, Peter Meagher, Tibor Weitzen and Marika Pogany. The youngest victim was Matilda, who had just turned 10. A further 41 people, including four children, were injured in the attack. Twenty victims remain in hospitals across Sydney.
The Bondi Beach shooting has been formally declared a terrorist incident as investigations continue.
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