Fashion designer recalls hiding under a van for 15 heart-pounding minutes during Bondi Beach terror attack
An Australian fashion designer found herself “convulsing with fear” when she and her girlfriend ducked under a van left in the line of fire at Bondi Beach. They were surrounded by two men who carried rifles and had just opened fire on groups of Jews celebrating Hanukkah.
The designer, Pip Edwards, 45, recounted the 15 heart‑pounding minutes she spent trembling in terror, as the alleged attackers, Naveed Akram, 24, and his 50‑year‑old father, Sajid, killed 15 people and injured dozens more during Sunday’s antisemitic shooting at the family‑friendly Chanukah‑by‑the‑Sea event.
She said, in a long Instagram post, that the gunman fired his first round of shots right behind her and her girlfriend as they had just passed the bridge where the assailants were positioned, heading toward the Jewish event on the Bondi grass.
“We immediately ducked between two parked vans as the shots continued endlessly, literally just two metres away. We had to take refuge under a van, watching the gunmen’s footsteps and the pace of their gun in front of us, using our van as their post,” she explained. According to Edwards, one of the shooters had his feet directly in front of the van, while the other lurked behind, circling the vehicle like sharks.
After a civilian shouted at them and they began firing wildly at “everything and everyone”, the father‑son team walked away from the van. The terrified fashion designer recalled being trapped, feeling her life was on the line as she monitored their movements, and clinging to her girlfriend as tightly as possible for hope.
“We rolled from side to side under the van, hiding behind the wheels, as the gunmen’s feet shuffled around us, trying not to be seen. We remained there for 15 minutes in total panic, shock, almost frozen, unable to breathe because we didn’t want to be heard,” Edwards added. When the gunfire finally ceased, a friend broke through police barriers, rescued them from beneath the bullet‑riddled van, and they were finally free.
Police reported that the Akrams’ car, found at the scene, contained improvised explosive devices and homemade ISIS flags. The pair reportedly owned six fully licensed firearms. Sajid was killed during a shoot‑out with police, while his son—who was also shot—was charged with 59 offences, including terrorism and 15 counts of murder, marking the deadliest mass shooting in Australia’s recent history.
“I cannot comprehend nor compute it at all,” Edwards said of the hateful massacre. “All I can say is that I am beyond grateful to have survived. I love my son beyond words, and I love my family and friends so much — love is all that matters. From the carnage that I heard and saw firsthand, my heart bleeds for us all.”
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