The father and son accused of carrying out Sunday’s terrorist attack in Bondi Beach traveled to Philippines ahead of the deadly shooting, Australian authorities said Tuesday, adding that the vehicle belonging to the younger man contained crude bombs and Islamic State flags.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed the two men traveled to the Philippines at a news conference but said the reasons for their travel, where they went and what they did remain under investigation.
The southern Philippines’ island of Mindanao is known as a hotspot for terrorist groups, including Islamic State East Asia.
At least 15 people have died, ranging in age from 10 to 87 years old, after the deadly shooting that took place at a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday evening. Twenty-five people, including children, remain in hospital, and Australian authorities have designated it a terrorist incident 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 hospital and is likely to face charges. The older man, named as Sajid Akram, arrived in Australia on a student visa in 1998 and his son Naveed is an Australian-born citizen, officials have said.
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, as well as 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, similar to the FBI, and NSW police, among others, is reviewing “significant material” seized during search warrants which has allowed them to make an “initial assessment” about the alleged attackers and their motivations.
“These are the alleged actions of those who have aligned themselves with a terrorist organization, not a religion,” she said, without elaborating further.
Also speaking on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he 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.
Lanyon said Tuesday a second investigation into the role of police was being carried out, but praised the police response and said he did not believe there had been intelligence failures.
The commissioner 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.
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