‘I got a pretty good shot’

A WITNESS to the Bondi Beach massacre has spoken out about stomping on the head of one of the suspected shooters.

Jacob Barnfield said he had done something “every Australian wanted to do” by kicking 24-year-old Naveed Akram’s head.

He told Sunrise: “People were just stomping on his (Naveed’s) head. I got a pretty good shot on his head as well, but I feel like it was pretty well deserved considering the circumstances.

“I had so much anger built up just to kick them because you’ve just seen all the dead bodies, you’ve seen the families screaming and crying. There was children on the floor screaming and crying.

“It was a bit of a dog shot, but I don’t regret it at all. He deserved every bit.”

24-year-old Naveed Akram was named last night by the Australian PM as one of two suspected shooters, allegedly responsible for killing 15 people at Bondi Beach, Sydney.

His father Sajid Akram, 50, was named as the suspected second shooter.

The attack on Hannukah celebrations at the beach left 42 people in hospitaland five in critical condition.

The dead include a holocaust survivora 10-year-old girl, and Brit-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger was described by his cousin as “vivacious, optimistic and full of energy and life”.

The 41-year-old father-of-five “dedicated his life to adding light and to spreading Torah and Judaism” his cousin Rabbi Dovid Lewis told Sky News.

Barnfield said that the scene was carnage, with several bystanders trying to jump on top of the shooter.

He said: “You don’t think about how dangerous it is when you’re running past kids bleeding out, families covering their children, and people with organs exposed. It’s just fight or flight.

It’s something you don’t usually see in Australia. You’d expect it in America, but here – it’s pretty crazy.”

This follows reports that the 24-year-old alleged shooter pledged allegiance to Islamic State.

The ABC reported that the ASIO had investigated suspect Naveed for six months in 2019, after the arrest of an Islamic state terrorist.

Akram was examined for “close ties to a Sydney-based Islamic State (IS) terrorism cell”, according to the ABC.

The Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) believe Akram’s father also pledged loyalty to IS.

The 50-year-old dad was shot dead by cops during the attack with his 24-year-old son left in critical condition in hospital.

An Iranian-backed terror cell may have been responsible for the attack, according to Israeli intelligence sources.

Although Australian officials have not confirmed overseas involvement in the attack, Israeli officials pointed to Iran as a primary suspect.

Links with groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba are also being investigated, Israeli media reports suggest.

Israeli intelligence sources said that the Sydney shooting was well-planned, carrying the hallmarks of Hezbollah’s feared external operations arm Unit 910.

Just three months ago, Australia expelled its Iranian ambassador after it claimed Tehran had ordered attacks against Jewish targets in the country in 2024.

These included an October arson attack on a Sydney cafe and an attack on a Melbourne synagogue in December.

At the time, ASIO boss Mike Burgess said his team had found links “between the alleged crimes and the commanders in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC”.

Ronen Solomon, an Israeli intelligence expert on Hezbollah, told The Daily Telegraph that Iranian terror groups hide out in Australia.

He said: “Australia has long been known to be a hub for Hezbollah and Iran’s sleeping cells, so it could even be a joint operation between Hezbollah and Quds Force.

“But this will mean it’s going to be very hard to pin this incident on them as Iran will want to cover this up as an anti-Semitic incident.”

Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivorwas killed in the Sydney attack while protecting his wife from bullets.

Matilda, 10, the attack’s youngest victim, was described as a “bright, joyful, and spirited child” by her teacher Irina Goodhew.

The 10-year-old’s aunt, Linda, confirmed the heartbreaking news in a social media post.

She wrote: “A great tragedy has happened to my family. Yesterday my beloved niece Matilda was killed during a terrorist attack in Bondi beach.

“I don’t know how we survive such grief.”

The death toll could have been even larger if a hero shopkeeper hadn’t wrestled and disarmed one of the gunmen.

Brave fruit shop-owner Ahmed Al Ahmed, 43, can be seen in dramatic footage wrestling and seizing a firearm from the gunman.

As the shooter lies on the ground, Al Ahmed briefly turns the gun at him, but does not pull the trigger, calmly placing the weapon on the ground.

Al Ahmed is now recovering in hospital after being shot five times in the arm.

Prime Minister Albanese called the brutal attack: “An act of evil antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation.”

He told a Canberra press conference: “The evil that was unleashed at Bondi Beach today is beyond comprehension, and the trauma and loss that families are dealing with tonight is beyond anyone’s worst nightmare.

“We have seen Australians today run towards danger in order to help others. These Australians are heroes and their bravery has saved lives.”

Australian Police said the older shooter had six firearms registered to him, with six were recovered from the scene.

Two “rudimentary” bombs were also found at the scene and taken away to be deactivated, cops say.

Authorities ruled out looking for a third suspect, and said there was “no indication to indicate that either of the men involved in yesterday’s attack was planning the attack that happened yesterday.”

In response to the brutal attack, thousands of Aussies have donated blood in the largest donation drive the country has seen in 16 years.

Cath Stone, the Executive Director in Donor Experience from Australian Red Cross Lifeblood said more than 40,000 people had rushed to donate.

She said: “This is the biggest community response we’ve seen since the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria in 2009.

“We’d like to thank everyone who has visited our centres or made an appointment to donate today and in the days ahead.

“When tragic events occur, donating blood and plasma is one way to help people.

“The need for more blood and plasma donors is ongoing.”