The father and son accused of carrying out Sunday’s terrorist attack in Bondi Beach appear to have been inspired by the Islamic State, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday, as authorities confirmed the two men had traveled to the Philippines the month before the deadly shooting.
“It would appear that there is evidence that this was inspired by a terrorist organization, by ISIS,” Albanese said Tuesday at a news conference, citing the Islamic State flags found in the vehicle registered to the younger suspect.
Earlier he told ABC Sydney the attack was apparently motivated by Islamic State “ideology of hate” that led to “a preparedness to engage in mass murder.”
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed the two men traveled to the Philippines but told a news conference the reasons for their travel, where they went and what they did remain under investigation.
The southern Philippine island of Mindanao is known as a hot spot for terrorist groups, including Islamic State East Asia. It was first listed as a terrorist organization by Australian authorities in 2017.
At least 15 people, ranging in age from 10 to 87 years old, died in the shooting that took place at a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday evening. Twenty-five people, including children, remain in the hospital, and Australian authorities have designated it as an act of terrorism targeting Sydney’s Jewish community.
Authorities have identified one of the shooters as a 50-year-old man, who was killed, and the second suspect as his 24-year-old son, who remains in the hospital and is likely to face charges. The older man, identified as Sajid Akram, arrived in Australia on a student visa in 1998; his son Naveed Akram is an Australian-born citizen, officials have said. Authorities would not confirm Tuesday which country Sajid Akram arrived from.Lanyon said the vehicle registered to the younger man contained improvised explosive devices and two “homemade” Islamic State flags. Authorities are still carrying out forensic and ballistic investigations at the site of the attack and searching for a motive, he said. “This is a very complex investigation and important that we do it thoroughly.”
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the younger gunman is facing “significant charges” following the attack in which “Jewish Australians were hunted down in broad daylight at an iconic Australian beach.”
“Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State allegedly committed by a father and son,” she said. “There is no evidence to suggest other individuals were involved in this attack, however we caution that this could change given it is early in our investigation.”
She said the New South Wales joint counterterrorism team, which includes representatives from Australia’s Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) and New South Wales police, among others, are working with international partner agencies and reviewing “significant material” seized during search warrants. This has allowed police to make an “initial assessment” about the alleged attackers and their motivations, she said.
“These are the alleged actions of those who have aligned themselves with a terrorist organization, not a religion,” Barrett added, without elaborating further.
Also on Tuesday, Albanese met with “Australian hero” Ahmed al-Ahmed, who was captured on video sneaking up behind one of the gunmen and wrestling him to the ground.
“I thanked him for the lives that he helped to save and I wished him all the very best with his surgery that he will undertake tomorrow,” Albanese said.
The attack has sparked an outpouring of shock, grief and anger in Sydney, and raised questions about whether authorities have done enough to protect the city’s Jewish community following a spate of antisemitic incidents.
On Monday, authorities said that Sajid Akram had owned six firearms, while Naveed Akram was investigated by Australia’s security agency in 2019 for his “associations” with extremists.
Albanese said Tuesday that Naveed Akram had been investigated by ASIO, which included interviewing his family members, after he was “drawn to their attention because of his association with others,” without naming the others. The prime minister said two of Naveed Akram’s associates were jailed, but he was not seen as a person of interest at the time.
“Whether he was radicalized further after that, what the circumstances are, that’s the subject of further investigation,” he told ABC Sydney.
During a separate radio interview, Albanese said the younger suspect remained in the hospital under police guard while authorities wait to question him further. The two men had told family members they were going on a fishing trip over the weekend but had hired a home in the suburb of Campsie, west of Bondi Beach, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
“There were the six guns. Four were found at the scene, two were at Campsie,” Albanese said Tuesday, adding that the gun licensing process would also be reviewed, including whether Australian citizenship should be a condition for holding one.
Lanyon said Tuesday that a second investigation into the role of police was being carried out, though he praised the police response and said he did not believe there had been intelligence failures.
He also said previous reports about Sajid Akram gaining a firearms license in 2015 from police were incorrect. His license was approved in 2023, Lanyon said. “The firearms that we have seized were attached to that license appropriately,” he said.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said political authorities would work with counterterrorism police, as well as on fighting antisemitism and gun reform, but disputed suggestions that the police response was inadequate.
He said two officers who were injured in the attack are in critical care. “They weren’t shot in the back as they were running away, they were shot in the front,” he said.
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