Security sources reveal that the father-and-son duo implicated in the deadly Bondi Beach shooting visited the Philippines for what appears to have been military-style training in a region known for Islamist militancy.
This assault, targeting a Hanukkah event at the iconic Sydney location last month, has been labelled an antisemitic terrorist act, resulting in 15 fatalities—including a 10-year-old girl, a Holocaust survivor, and two rabbis—among victims aged 10 to 87, while at least 25 people continued receiving hospital care amid ongoing enquiries.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon disclosed on Tuesday that 24-year-old Naveed Akram and his 50-year-old father Sajid had journeyed to the Philippines shortly beforehand, sparking detailed scrutiny of their movements and intentions there.
“The reasons why they went to the Philippines, and the purpose of that, and where they went when they were there, is under investigation at the moment,” Lanyon said. Raids on their Bonnyrigg residence and a Campsie Airbnb, alongside the vehicle Naveed left at the scene, yielded improvised explosive devices and two Islamic State flags.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese informed journalists that “it would appear that there is evidence that this was [allegedly] inspired by a terrorist organisation, by Isis.”
He pointed to Naveed’s earlier monitoring by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation starting in October 2019, due to connections with a local IS network that included jihadist Abdul Had and recruiter Youssef Uweinat, after a half-year investigation. Albanese condemned the violence as “an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism” during a family-oriented celebration, pledging stricter firearms regulations despite Australia’s rigorous controls.
Naveed, who worked as a bricklayer, was apprehended on-site with severe injuries and is now under hospital guard, whereas Sajid—who secured a firearms licence in 2023 for six guns, contrary to early reports of a decade-old permit—died in a confrontation with police.
Lanyon affirmed that no additional perpetrators are being pursued, although two officers sustained injuries, leading to heightened protection around places of worship. Bystander Ahmed al-Ahmed became a hero by tackling and disarming one gunman, though he endured gunshot wounds necessitating surgery.