Fringe groups likely to 'exploit' Bondi attack, experts warn

Australia experienced its worst mass shooting in recent history after two gunmen killed 15 people and injured at least 38 at a Jewish community event at Bondi beach on Sunday.

Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid Akram, 50, have been identified as the alleged shooters responsible for the attack.

Investigations will focus on the alleged gunmen's communications and potential links to extremism after police described the shooting as an act of terrorism, saying the pair deliberately targeted Jewish people.

Dr Levi West, a counter-terrorism expert and researcher at ANU, said the risk of retaliatory attacks was unlikely but warned that fringe actors will move to exploit the tragedy to incite further hatred.

"Vigilante violence is a risk," he said.

"It's important in the aftermath and in the absence of public information, that we avoid speculating on their motivation based solely on their names or ethnic background, it is fundamentally counterproductive," he said.

Police are expected to file charges against the 24-year-old son, who is an Australian citizen, who is said to be in hospital in critical condition.

His 50-year-old father, who was in possession of a gun license and was previously known to authorities, died at the scene.

Dr West said a father and son carrying out a terrorism attack together was "very unusual" but not unheard of.

"From my understanding, the [father] was known as having a non-consequential number of firearms, the sort of complexity in making assessments about people who have engaged in an ideological framework and whether or not they will engage in violence is the million-dollar question in counter-terrorism," he said.

Speaking after a national security meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the 24-year-old son was investigated by ASIO in 2019 for being linked to a person involved with the Islamic State.

An assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence.

Former defence intelligence analyst and terrorism researcher at Charles Sturt University Dr Samantha Jones said extremist organisations like the Islamic State were "very selective" with whom they choose to accept.

She said extremists used a combination of in-person interactions and encrypted messaging apps to recruit new members and communicate.

"That process can take years and what the organisations are determining is whether they are a security risk," she said.

Dr Jones said she anticipated that neo-Nazi groups would leverage Sunday's terrorism incident to spread fear and anger across the Australian community.

"Those sorts of groups are very good at staying within the legislative guidelines. I would anticipate they would simply make themselves known by marching out onto the street," she said.

On Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X saying he had been in touch with his counterparts in Australia and was providing assistance.

Under the Five Eye intelligence-sharing partnership, law and intelligence agencies in the United States, Canada and New Zealand will undertake a "collection exercise" to gather as much information as possible about the two alleged gunmen, including anyone who is connected to them overseas.

ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said that the national terrorism threat level remains at probable, after stating that one incident by itself does not necessarily raise the national level.

He clarified that "probable" means there is a 50 per cent chance of a terrorism incident occurring in Australia.

A spokesperson from the AFP declined to comment.