BY AFP COMMISSIONER KRISSY BARRETT
CANBERRA, ACT. — Today, Wednesday, December 17, 2025, a 24-year-old Bonnyrigg man was charged with allegedly committing a terrorist attack at Bondi Beach where 15 people were lethally shot, and 49 were injured on December 14, 2025.
The alleged offender appeared before the Bail Division Local Court 7 via a video link from a NSW hospital.
He has been charged with:
- One count of committing a terrorist act;
- 15 counts of murder;
- 40 counts of causing wounding/grievous bodily harm to a person with the intent to murder;
- One count of discharging a firearm etc, intending to cause grievous bodily harm;
- One count of causing a public display of a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol;
- One count of placing an explosive in/near a building with the intent to cause harm.
The maximum penalties for committing a terrorist act and murder is life imprisonment.
The NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team, under Operation Arques, charged the man after he was arrested at his hospital bed on Monday.
While today’s charges are a progress in the investigation, this is not the job done for our investigators.
There is significant digital material being forensically examined; further search warrants will be executed, and the AFP is continuing to work closely with our international partners.
While there is no ongoing threat or known planned attacks, I want to be very clear. We are not just focused on Operation Arques.
We are taking a peripheral view of security in Australia and are ready to use our powers, significant capabilities and our extensive international partnerships to keep our communities safe.
I would now like to make some broader comments.
Families will continue to bury their loved ones over the coming days.
It is hard not to be moved by the weight of grief that is hanging over Sydney. It is a reminder of the cruel and hateful act perpetrated against the Jewish community.
As AFP Police Commissioner, I say to Jewish Australians, you do not – and you should not – share this grief alone.
We have seen photos of the beautiful and joyful faces now lost – and in them, we see our own loved ones.
We see the innocent.
And we see our fellow Australians.
I say to all of those who are grieving the loss of life. I will share the weight of this unfathomable grief with you not just as a police officer who is dedicated to protecting and serving our country, but as a wife, a mother, a sister and a daughter.
The AFP will wrap our collective arms around you, to help protect you, and to show you that we will be here for you in your time of need, and the days, months and years to come.
Before I take questions, I can inform you that a suppression order on this matter has been issued, which limits what I – and the media – can report.
