Leeds woman in Bondi at time of shooting describes "sheer terror"
Kelly Wright was by Bondi Beach in a bar, with her family at the time of the attack
Last updated 15th Dec 2025
A woman from Leeds who was in Bondi at the time of the terrorist attack, described it as “sheer terror” after running to safety.
Kelly Wright who is from Leeds, is on holiday in Sydney staying in Little Bay, down the coast from Bondi.
She was sat trying to order drinks at a bar with her family and said: "Suddenly about 100 people came running towards us onto the pavilion terrace, we did what anyone would do as your human instinct and ran with them."
“At this point we didn’t know why we were running, but we knew we had to find somewhere to hide."
“It was awful, I’m still reeling from it. Everyone is in disbelief and it feels like it will never be the same again,” Kelly added.
Australian police said a 54-year-old man and his 24-year-old son, named in local media as Sajid and Naveed Akram, were behind the shooting on Sunday, in which 15 people were killed, including a 10-year-old girl and a British-born rabbi.
Sajid Akram was shot by police and died at the scene but Naveed Akram, who was wounded, is expected to survive his injuries and face criminal charges.
The shooting targeted Jewish people attending a Hanukkah.