Disturbing new footage has emerged showing a black Islamic State flag draped across the vehicle allegedly used by the father and son accused of carrying out the deadly Bondi Beach attack.
Footage Confirms Witness Accounts
The video, shared on social media, confirms earlier witness reports that police had previously declined to comment on. It shows the flag covering the windscreen of a 2001 silver Hyundai Elantra, parked on Campbell Parade near the footbridge where the shooting began.
It was from this location that Sajid Akram, 50, and his son, Naveed Akram, 24, are alleged to have opened fire, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more in a horrific spree last weekend.
Vehicle Seized for Forensic Examination
The car was towed away by authorities on Monday morning and taken to Surry Hills Police Station, where it is expected to undergo a thorough forensic examination. The footage, filmed from inside a passing vehicle, provides crucial visual evidence from the scene.
Heroic Bystanders Attempted to Disarm Gunmen
The clip also captures the terrifying and heroic moments at the very start of the incident. It shows a couple who were among the first to identify the threat and bravely attempted to intervene.
A man can be seen falling to the road beside Sajid Akram, holding the firearm he had just wrestled from the alleged attacker. A woman stands nearby. Tragically, both individuals were shot and killed during their courageous attempt to disarm the gunman.
"Many people may not know that at the very beginning of the incident, two individuals were among the first to identify the gunman and bravely attempted to disarm him," a social media user stated. "Tragically, they were shot and killed in the process. They were heroes too. They stepped forward in the face of extreme danger."
Another witness who observed the struggle described the man as a 'hero'. The emergence of this video sheds new light on the rapid and chaotic initial moments of the attack, highlighting both the depravity of the act and the extraordinary courage of ordinary citizens.
Investigations into the attack and the motivations behind it are ongoing.
