On Bondi Beach, a typically serene locale, a horrific shooting spree unfolded resulting in the deaths of 16 individuals. The attackers have been identified as a father-son team—50-year-old Sajid Akram and 24-year-old Naveed Akram, who cruelly opened fire on festival-goers celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
According to CBS International News Agency, Naveed Akram is a Pakistani national.
New South Wales Police Commissioner, Mal Lanyon, revealed in a press conference that the 50-year-old perpetrator was shot dead by police, while the 24-year-old, Naveed, is currently hospitalized. Investigations have confirmed their familial relationship. The attack claimed the lives of 16 people and injured 40 more.
Off to a Weekend Fishing Trip
The father-son pair, Sajid and Naveed Akram, had informed their family that they were heading to the southern coast for a fishing weekend before executing the heinous act.
Upon uncovering Naveed's background, police quickly surrounded his home in Bonnyrigg, west of Sydney. Speaking to the media, Naveed's mother, Verena, remarked her son, a previously unemployed bricklayer, had last spoken with the family Sunday morning, mentioning a trip with his father to Jervis Bay.
Sajid's Extensive Gun Collection
Investigators discovered six licensed firearms belonging to Sajid at the crime scene. Lanyon stated Sajid had possessed a gun license for nearly ten years. Authorities found improvised explosive devices (IED) and an ISIS flag in one of the suspect's vehicles.
The police disclosed that the deceased 50-year-old assailant held a gun license for recreational hunting.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed Sajid was a member of a gun club with legal rights to a firearms license under state laws.
Source: aajtak
Lanyon emphasized, "Determining the motive behind this attack will be a fundamental part of our investigation."
On that fateful Sunday, Bondi Beach attracted over 1,000 visitors. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remarked the assailants "deliberately targeted the Jewish community on Hanukkah's opening day."
Naveed, the Former Bricklayer
An Australian newspaper, Sydney Morning Herald, spoke with Naveed's mother, Verena. She recounted, "He called me Sunday, said he went swimming, did some scuba diving, and planned to stay home today due to the heat."
Verena insisted her son neither had possession of weapons nor engaged with friends often. He avoided drinking and smoking, focusing solely on work.
Two months prior, Akram lost his bricklaying job due to his employer's bankruptcy.
Naveed's Introverted Nature
Verena recalled that during his days at Cabramatta High School, Naveed had friends but wasn't notably social.
In 2022, Akram was tagged in a since-deleted social media post indicating he had completed Quranic studies at the Al-Murad Institute in western Sydney's Heckenberg, a center providing Arabic and Quranic education.
The ages of the deceased in this tragedy ranged from 10 to 87. NSW Health Minister Ryan Park confirmed the youngest victim succumbed at Sydney Children's Hospital. Terrorist Akram's mother is a housewife. Akram lived with his terrorist father, a 22-year-old sister, and a 20-year-old brother in a property acquired in 2024. Previously, the family resided in Cabramatta.
