HYDERABAD: Australian authorities are piecing together the events leading to the deadly attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, which occurred on Sunday, leaving 15 people dead and dozens more injured. The attack is believed to have been carried out by a father and son allegedly inspired by Islamic State (ISIS) ideology. The older suspect, Sajid Akram, 50, was fatally shot by police at the scene, while his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, was wounded and is currently under police guard in the hospital.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and senior law enforcement officials confirmed that the attack appeared to be ideologically driven, citing evidence found after the shooting. “The presence of ISIS flags in the vehicle seized from the scene is part of the evidence,” said Albanese.
Radicalization Believed to Have Occurred in Australia
Indian authorities have stated there is no evidence that the suspects were radicalized while in India. Telangana’s Director General of Police, Shivadhar Reddy, mentioned that Australian agencies informed their Indian counterparts that the radicalization seemed to have occurred after Sajid Akram settled in Australia. “There is no indication that their radicalization was influenced by India or any local factors,” Reddy stated.
“Telangana Police has no adverse record against Sajid during his time in India before he left in 1998,” he added. An intelligence official further noted that both father and son appeared to have been radicalized in Sydney. Authorities also revealed that Naveed Akram attended an Arabic and religious study course at an institution in Sydney from 2019 to 2022. Investigators are now looking into whether this coincided with the father and son’s alleged exposure to extremist materials.
Recent Trip to the Philippines
Reports from news agency AP suggest that Australian police are examining a three-week trip taken by the pair to the Philippines last month. The Philippines Bureau of Immigration confirmed that Sajid and Naveed Akram traveled from Sydney to Manila on November 1, later flying to Davao City, before returning to Australia on November 28. Sajid Akram used an Indian passport, while his son traveled on an Australian one.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon stated that investigators are trying to determine the purpose of the trip. “We are working to understand why they went to the Philippines and what they did while there,” he said. Australian media have speculated that the pair may have undergone military-style training during their visit. Although groups like Abu Sayyaf, a militant Muslim separatist group in the southern Philippines, have previously supported ISIS, Philippine authorities have reported that such groups have been significantly weakened, and no recent evidence of foreign militants operating in the region has been found.
A Life in Hyderabad’s Toli Chowki Before Moving to Australia
Sajid Akram, originally from Hyderabad’s Toli Chowki area, graduated in commerce from Anwar-ul-Uloom College before migrating to Australia in 1998. According to Telangana police, Sajid maintained limited contact with his family after relocating. His father, a retired Indian Army officer, passed away in 2009, during which time Sajid did not return to India.
In the 27 years he spent in Australia, Sajid visited India six times, mostly for property matters such as selling ancestral land and a house in Hyderabad’s Sha Ali Banda area. He married Venera Grosso, an Australian woman of Italian descent, and they had two children— a son and a daughter. Sources indicate that he brought his wife to Hyderabad in the early 2000s, where they held a traditional Nikah ceremony.
Family members have said they were unaware of any extremist views held by Sajid or his son.
Evidence Recovered After the Attack
After the shooting, police seized a vehicle registered to Naveed Akram. Inside, they found improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and two homemade ISIS flags. “I can confirm that the vehicle contained IEDs,” stated Commissioner Lanyon. Officials noted that the suspects appeared to have planned the attack with the intent of causing mass casualties. “The alleged attackers showed no regard for the victims’ age or abilities,” said Deputy Commissioner Michael Barrett. “It seems their sole objective was to increase the death toll.”
Victims and Ongoing Investigation
Twenty-five people remain hospitalized following the attack, including 10 in critical condition, three of whom are children. Australian counter-terrorism agencies continue to collaborate with international partners, including Indian and Philippine authorities, to reconstruct the suspects’ movements and determine how they embraced extremist ideology.
The investigation is still ongoing, and authorities have not ruled out the possibility of further arrests.
