Bondi beach attack: Deceased shooter was a Hyderabad native, held Indian passport
One of the two men behind the mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sunday was originally from Hyderabad and continues to hold an Indian passport, Australian and Indian authorities have confirmed, NDTV reported.
The attack, which killed 15 people, has been described by Australian investigators as a terrorist act inspired by the so-called Islamic State group.
The deceased suspect has been identified as Sajid Akram, 50, who was shot dead by police at the scene.
His son, Naveed Akram, 24, who allegedly acted alongside him, survived and is currently undergoing treatment in a hospital under police guard.
According to the Telangana Director General of Police, Sajid Akram was a native of Hyderabad who migrated to Australia in November 1998 on a student visa.
He had completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Hyderabad before leaving India in search of employment.
Akram lived in Australia for nearly 27 years and had limited contact with his family in Hyderabad during that period.
Senior Telangana police officials said there was no indication of any operational or ideological link between Akram’s alleged radicalisation and India.
Police said Akram last visited Hyderabad in 2022 and continued to hold an Indian passport, while his two children, a son and a daughter, were born in Australia and are Australian citizens.
Investigators said Akram’s relationship with his extended family in Hyderabad had broken down years ago due to family disputes.
Relatives are understood to have cut ties with him long before the attack, and police noted that he did not attend his father’s funeral in 2017.
After migrating to Australia, Akram married Venera Grosso, described by police as a woman of European origin. The couple settled permanently in Australia with their two children.
The mass shooting occurred during a Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach, one of Australia’s most popular public spaces.
On Tuesday, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the incident was a “terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State.”
“The suspected murderers appeared to have no regard for the age or vulnerability of their victims,” Barrett said, adding that the attackers were focused solely on causing mass casualties.
Authorities said the attackers used a vehicle registered in the younger suspect’s name. The car was seized, and investigators recovered improvised explosive devices and two homemade flags linked to the Islamic State group.
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