ASIO boss Mike Burgess has shed stunning new light on the Bondi Beach terror attack, including on the agency’s prior activity around Naveed and Sajid Akram.
Father-son duo Naveed and Sajid are accused of opening fire at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach, with 15 innocent people losing their lives on on December 14, 2025.
Sajid, 50, was shot dead by police, with Naveed, 24, being shot in the abdomen by a hero cop, before he was detained and later charged.
The anti-Semitic terror attack on Australia’s most famous beach shocked the world.
Damning revelations soon came to light that Naveed had previously been on an ASIO terror watch list, and that Sajid, despite authorities having flagged his son who he lived with, legally owned six firearms.
Speaking at a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday, Mr Burgess accepted that the community are demanding answers.
“How did this happen? Why did this happen? Why wasn’t it discovered? Why wasn’t it stopped? Was enough done to address antisemitism? If not, why not? How can we prevent a similar attack in the future?” Mr Burgess said.
“These questions and many more will no doubt be addressed by the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion. That is as it should be.
“The royal commission is the appropriate place and the appropriate vehicle to explore these legitimate concerns.”
Mr Burgees defending himself, reminding the committee that he had previous flagged concerns over anti-Semitism, including when he said “antisemitism was ASIO’s most pressing threat to life priority”.
Mr Burgess said Naveed and Sajid Akram “demonstrated a high level of security awareness to hide their plot”.
“In simple terms they went dark to stay off the radar,” he said.
“This is a matter of grave regret for me and my officers. It weighs heavily on us.
“But that does not mean intelligence was ignored or my officers made mistakes. The grim reality is as I have said many times ASIO is not all seeing and all knowing. We cannot stop every terrorist just as we cannot catch every spy.”
ASIO’s reminder comes as the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team, which is made up of specialist NSW Police and AFP members, escalates a probe into the father and son’s trip to the Philippines ahead of the deadly shooting.
There, the Akrams are reported to have spent a large portion of time inside their hotel room, barely leaving according to multiple sources, something the authorities continue to hold doubt over.
One source has claimed that Naveed and Sajid stayed inside their hotel room waiting for a call from an ISIS jihadist, a call that reportedly never came.
The ASIO boss was tight-lipped around the review into intelligence sharing and the information that will form part of the royal commission that has been announced, however, Mr Burgess lashed out at criticism his agency has revived, calling it baseless.
“The review is highly classified because it contains details about individuals and sensitive capabilities,” he said.
“However I can say that we stand by our 2019 assessment. The Akrams did not adhere to or intend to engage in violent extremism at that time.
“In other words – many of the claims and criticisms being made about ASIO’s handling of the case are baseless.
“Of course these matters will be investigated by the royal commission and we will provide it with a full classified report to assist its inquiries. The royal commissioner of course will reach her own conclusions.
“If ASIO is found to have made mistakes we will own them and we will learn from them.”
The accused terrorist is currently being held at Goulburn Supermax prison.
He was moved to Australia’s most secure prison after a short stay at the Long Bay Correctional Centre, where it is understood he stay in a wing that provides hospital care.
