Islamic State said on Thursday the killing of 15 people at a Jewish event at Sydney's Bondi Beach was a "source of pride', in an article published on the group's telegram channel. The group did not explicitly claim responsibility for Sunday's attack.
A rare video of armed police detaining suspects on a Sydney road circulated widely Thursday morning, amid heightened security following a deadly terror attack that targeted the city’s Jewish community earlier this week.
Armed police arrest several suspects on a Sydney road Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, following intelligence about a possible planned attack
The footage, filmed by bystanders, showed heavily armed officers in helmets and body armor pulling several people from a white Hyundai and handcuffing them on the ground near a medical center and school. Nearby shops and pedestrians were reportedly ordered to stay inside during the dramatic scene.
Local media reported the suspects, who appeared to be of Middle Eastern appearance, were stopped while traveling from Melbourne to the Sydney suburb of Bondi Beach, the site of Sunday's terror attack.
At this stage, it was not clear what they were accused of, and the New South Wales Police Force said in a statement that the individuals were in two vehicles and had been detained on information about a potentially violent act.
“At this stage,” police said, there was no known link between the arrests and the ongoing investigation into the Bondi Beach terrorist attack. Officers from a tactical operations unit carried out the detentions “following information received about a violent act that may have been planned,” police said.
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Armed police arrest several suspects on a Sydney road Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, following intelligence about a possible planned attack
According to The Australian, the arrests followed intelligence from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation amid a widespread alert over possible copycat attacks after the Bondi Beach massacre.
On Dec. 14, at a Jewish Hanukkah event at Archer Park near Bondi Beach, two gunmen opened fire on the crowd in what authorities have described as an antisemitic terrorist attack — one of the deadliest in Australia’s history.
Police identified the alleged attackers as 50‑year‑old Sajid Akram and his 24‑year‑old son, Naveed Akram; the elder man was killed by police at the scene and the younger remained in custody in critical condition.
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Armed police arrest several suspects on a Sydney road Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, following intelligence about a possible planned attack
The shootings killed 15 people, aged between 10 and 87, and injured dozens more, including at least two police officers, before police disarmed the remaining suspect. Among the dead were a 10‑year‑old girl and an 87‑year‑old Holocaust survivor, as well as rabbis and community volunteers attending the event.
The massacre, which occurred at a Hanukkah gathering organized by the Chabad of Bondi, provoked national and international condemnation. Australian authorities declared it a terrorist incident with antisemitic motivations, and the government announced plans to strengthen hate crime laws amid public outrage and mourning across the Jewish community.