Sydney, Dec 15: Police have identified the gunmen behind the deadly Bondi Beach shooting as a father-son duo from Lahore, Pakistan. The attack, which occurred during the ‘Chanukah by the Sea’ event, claimed 16 lives, including the elder shooter.
Fifty-year-old Sajid Akram was fatally shot by police during the incident, while his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram was wounded and is receiving treatment at a hospital, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed. The victims ranged in age from 10 to 87 years.
Investigators said the pair had told family members they were going on a fishing trip, but instead carried out what is now described as Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades. Naveed Akram is an Australian-born citizen, while his father arrived in Australia in 1998 on a student visa that was later converted to permanent residency.
Following the attack, heavily armed police raided the family’s home in Bonnyrigg and an Airbnb property in Campsie. Authorities also discovered a vehicle containing several improvised explosive devices on Campbell Parade in Bondi. Commissioner Lanyon confirmed that the incident is being treated as a terrorist attack.
The Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT), comprising state and federal agencies, believes the attackers pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. Two IS flags were recovered from the attackers’ car, one of which was visible on the vehicle’s bonnet in footage from the scene.
ASIO had previously taken an interest in Naveed Akram in 2019 after foiling plans for an IS-inspired attack, though he was later assessed as not posing an ongoing threat. Investigators also found that Naveed had links with an IS operative currently serving a prison sentence for planning insurgent activities.
Commissioner Lanyon said Sajid Akram had held a licensed firearm for the past 10 years. Naveed Akram, an unemployed bricklayer, reportedly lost his job two months ago. The family lives in a three-bedroom home in Bonnyrigg along with Naveed’s parents, sister, and brother.
Naveed’s mother expressed shock over her son’s involvement, stating she could not recognise him in images from the scene and did not believe he was capable of such violence or extremist activity.
