Police have revealed that the two gunmen behind the Bondi beach attack, which killed 15 people, were a father and son who allegedly used legally obtained firearms. Naveed Akram, 24, was arrested at the scene and taken to a Sydney hospital with critical injuries, while his 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police. The attack took place on Sunday during a gathering to mark the first night of Hanukah.
New South Wales police confirmed that the older man held a firearms licence with six weapons registered to him, all of which have been recovered. Four long arms, believed to include a rifle and shotgun, were seized at the Bondi scene, while other weapons were found during a raid on a house in Campsie, in Sydney's south-west. Police commissioner Mal Lanyon said there was nothing to indicate the men were planning the attack, and confirmed the father had held a gun licence for a decade.
Naveed Akram, a bricklayer, was previously known to security agencies. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he came under the attention of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) in October 2019 and was examined for six months because of alleged associations with others. Albanese stated there was 'no indication of any ongoing threat' at the time, but later said the attackers were 'clearly motivated by this extremist ideology'.
Police expect to bring criminal charges against the surviving alleged attacker. NSW Premier Chris Minns said there would 'almost certainly' be changes to gun laws, with an investigation into whether there had been a failure of systems in relation to how licensed weapons could be used in a terror attack. The father held a category AB licence, which requires demonstrating a special need for certain firearms.
Home affairs minister Tony Burke said Naveed was Australian-born, while his father arrived on a student visa in 1998, transferred to a partner visa in 2001, and had since been on resident return visas. Naveed's former employer described him as a hard worker who was quiet and kept to himself, and said he had reported a broken wrist from boxing and asked for his entitlements to be paid out earlier this year.
