Fresh details have emerged in the investigation into the deadly terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, with Telangana Police clarifying the background of one of the accused and correcting earlier reports about his origins.
Authorities said Sajid Akram, one of the attackers, was originally from Hyderabad and had migrated to Australia nearly 27 years ago. Police confirmed that Akram had minimal contact with his family in India and stressed that his radicalisation had no links to India or any local influence in Telangana. The clarification comes amid earlier reports that had incorrectly suggested Pakistani origins.
The attack occurred on Sunday during a Hanukkah event at the iconic Bondi Beach. Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram allegedly opened fire on people gathered at the venue from an elevated pedestrian boardwalk. At least 16 people were killed, including a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi, a retired police officer and a Holocaust survivor. More than 25 others were injured, six of them critically.
The shooting reportedly lasted nearly 10 minutes, triggering chaos as families and tourists fled the beachfront area.
Sajid Akram was killed in a gunfight with police at the scene, while Naveed Akram was arrested and remains hospitalised in critical but stable condition under police guard. Australian authorities have formally classified the incident as a terrorist attack.
Investigators recovered multiple firearms, improvised explosive devices and homemade flags linked to the Islamic State from a vehicle registered in Naveed Akram’s name. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack, calling it an act of “pure evil,” driven by antisemitism and terrorism, and aimed at instilling fear within Australia’s Jewish community.
