'I was preparing to die': Bondi Beach survivor recounts terror attack

2 godzin temu

A survivor of the Bondi Beach terror attack has recounted her "absolutely terrifying" experience fleeing gunfire during the massacre that killed 15 people. Miya Lind, a 26-year-old model from Scotland, described how she prepared to die without saying goodbye to her family as she ran for her life during the attack on a Hanukkah celebration Sunday evening.

Naveed Akram, 24, now faces 59 criminal charges, including 15 counts of murder and committing a terrorist attack. Police shot his father Sajid Akram, 50, dead at the scene after the pair opened fire on more than 1,000 people celebrating the Jewish festival.

Survivor's Account

Lind told BBC Radio Scotland's Breakfast show she was walking to the beach to watch the sunset when she heard what sounded like firecrackers. She soon realized the sounds were gunshots and began running alongside her friend.

"It was absolutely terrifying. At that point my friend, she was running with her bag covering her head, and I had these really flimsy shoes on. I was not prepared for it at all and I just thought, I don't even have the time to take these off, because, you know, I was just waiting and preparing for something to hit me," Lind said.

She described a moment of acceptance during her escape. "I just remember looking at the sky at some point and just thinking, you know, I'm not going to die in fear. I'm going to appreciate where I am and how beautiful the sky is. I'd rather that be my last memories, and maybe somehow, if I can think of my family and whatnot, they'll understand that I left and I love them, and I just didn't think I was going to ever get to say goodbye."

When Lind realized she had dropped her phone, she risked her life to retrieve it. "I realised I dropped my phone, and stupidly I kind of stuck my head out and ran a little bit ahead to go back and retrieve it [...] I just thought, you know what, I feel like this is it, I had really accepted that that was the end."

She explained why getting the phone mattered so much. "I thought there's no way I'm leaving this Earth and not getting to say goodbye to my family."

The reality of the attack set in when she saw blood. "We didn't know how many people there were. We didn't know if there were more waiting at the top of the hill. At some point, we were hiding behind an ice cream truck."

The moment became viscerally real when Lind sat down to catch her breath. "I think when it really set in for me was when I'd sat down and I was trying to catch my breath [...] I'd looked to my left and there was just blood streaming down the path next to me. I think that's when it sank in [...]"

Evidence and Charges

Australian investigators discovered improvised explosive devices and homemade ISIS flags in a car registered to Naveed Akram following the massacre. New South Wales Police Force Commissioner Mal Lanyon reported these findings after the attack.

A police spokesperson stated authorities would argue that Naveed Akram "engaged in conduct that caused death, serious injury and endangered life to advance a religious cause and cause fear in the community."

The suspect was charged at his hospital bedside after awakening from a coma. His case has been adjourned until April 2026.

Victims Laid to Rest

The community held funerals for the victims, including 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest killed in the attack. Her aunt Lina Chernykh urged mourners: "Take your anger and... just spread happiness and love and memory for my lovely niece. I hope maybe she's an angel now. Maybe she [will] send some good vibes to the world."

Mourners laid Eli to rest Thursday, a 41-year-old British-born rabbi known as the "Bondi Rabbi." He had helped organize the Hanukkah celebration and left behind a wife and five children, including a two-month-old baby.

Rabbi Levi Wolff described Eli's death as an "unspeakable loss for the entire Jewish nation." Eli was "[...] ripped away from us, doing what he loved best, spreading love and joy and caring for his people with endless self-sacrifice," Wolff said at the funeral.

Among the dead was 78-year-old Tibor Weitzen, who died shielding loved ones from gunfire.

Philippines Connection

Investigators are examining why the Akrams spent a month in Davao City, Philippines, prior to the attack. The pair stayed at a budget hotel in an area described as a longtime base for Islamic militant groups like ISIS.

The city, located on Mindanao island, has been plagued by Muslim insurgents seeking to establish an Islamic state. ISIS fighters laid siege to the nearby city of Marawi in 2017 in a conflict that lasted five months.

A hotel staffer told the Daily Mail the two men kept to themselves: "We thought they probably had business here in the city since they would go out and just come back again. The longest that they would be outside would be around an hour and they would be just back here in the hotel."

Australian officials stated the attack appeared to be ISIS-inspired. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting seemed "motivated by Islamic State" group ideology.

The massacre marks the country's deadliest shooting since 1996. The attack occurred during the Jewish holy festival of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach's Archer Park area.

Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).

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