A mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah celebration left 15 people dead and has been classified as “a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State,” according to Australia’s federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett. The suspects in the attack were a father and son, aged 50 and 24. Authorities identified the older man as Sajid Akram, who was shot dead, while his son was receiving treatment at a hospital.
Tuesday’s news conference by political and law enforcement officials marked the first time authorities publicly confirmed their beliefs regarding the suspects’ ideologies. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the evidence included “the presence of Islamic State flags in the vehicle that has been seized.” Indian authorities reported that Sajid Akram originated from Hyderabad and held an Indian passport. He married a woman of European origin and migrated to Australia in 1998 for work opportunities, maintaining minimal contact with his family in India. Telangana State Police Chief B. Shivadhar Reddy said, “The family members have expressed no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his radicalization.”
Following the massacre, 25 people remain hospitalized, with 10 in critical condition, including three children. Among the survivors is Ahmed al Ahmed, who was filmed tackling and disarming one of the attackers before pointing the gun at him and setting it on the ground. Those killed ranged from 10 to 87 years old, all attending the Hanukkah event when gunfire erupted.
Calls for Tighter Gun Regulations
Prime Minister Albanese and state leaders have vowed to tighten Australia’s already strict gun laws, potentially marking the most significant reforms since the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania in 1996, when 35 people were killed. Officials provided additional details as public concern intensified over how the suspects could plan and carry out the attack, and whether the Jewish community had sufficient protection against rising antisemitism. Albanese highlighted that the older suspect had legally obtained a cache of six weapons. Barrett emphasized the suspects’ disregard for their victims, stating, “The suspected murderers, callous in how they allegedly coordinated their attack, appeared to have no regard for the age or ableness of their victims. It appears the alleged killers were interested only in a quest for a death tally.”
Authorities also confirmed the suspects traveled to the Philippines last month. New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said investigators are examining their reasons for the trip and specific locations visited. A vehicle registered to the younger suspect was seized at the scene and contained improvised explosive devices and two homemade ISIS flags. The Philippines Bureau of Immigration confirmed Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, traveled to Davao from Nov. 1 to Nov. 28. While some Muslim separatist groups in the southern Philippines, including Abu Sayyaf, have historically expressed support for Islamic State, decades of military campaigns have significantly weakened such groups, and officials report no recent presence of foreign militants in the region.
