What is Islamic State, the group linked to the Bondi Beach attack?

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People lay flowers and pay tributes at Bondi Beach to honour the victims of a mass shooting that targeted a Jewish Holiday celebration on Sunday at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams

DUBAI, Dec 17 - The shooting attack at a Jewish Hanukkah event at Sydneys Bondi Beach put the spotlight on Islamic State, which police said appeared to inspire the gunmen.

The men accused of carrying out Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years had spent time in the Philippines, where Islamic State-linked networks are known to operate.

WHAT IS ‍ISLAMIC STATE?

The ​Sunni Muslim group emerged in Iraq and Syria and quickly created a caliphate, declaring its rule over all Muslims ‍and largely displacing al Qaeda.

At the height of its power from 2014-2017 it held swathes of the two countries, ruling over millions of people. It had a base only a 30-minute drive from ​Baghdad, and also ​held the city of Sirte on Libyas Mediterranean coast.

On its territory Islamic State sought to rule like a centralised government, imposing its interpretation of Islamic Sharia law strictly and deploying shocking brutality including public executions and torture.

Its fighters also carried out or inspired attacks in dozens of cities around the world.

The caliphate eventually collapsed ‍in Iraq and in Syria after a sustained military campaign by a U.S.-led coalition.

WHERE DOES IT NOW OPERATE?

After being ousted from its bases in the Syrian city of