NEW DELHI, Dec 16: One of the two men behind the mass shooting at a Jewish event in Bondi Beach at Sydney in Australia on Sunday killing 15 people was originally from Hyderabad and continues to hold an Indian passport, even though he migrated to Australia nearly three decades ago.
The suspect, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police during the attack. His son, Naveed Akram, 24, who authorities say acted alongside him, survived but in critical condition and is being treated in hospital under police guard. Australian investigators have described the attack as a terrorist act inspired by the so-called Islamic State group.
The Telangana Director General of Police said Sajid Akram, aged 50, was a native of Hyderabad and had migrated to Australia in November 1998, initially on a student visa. He had completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Hyderabad before leaving India in search of employment, police said.
Akram had lived in Australia for approximately 27 years and had only limited contact with his family in Hyderabad during that period. Senior Telangana police officials stressed that there was no indication of any operational or ideological connection between Akram’s alleged radicalization and India.
Akram last visited Hyderabad in 2022. He continued to hold an Indian passport, while his children — a son and a daughter — were born in Australia and are Australian citizens. According to investigators, Akram’s relationship with his extended family in Hyderabad had broken down years ago due to family disputes. Relatives are understood to have cut ties with him long before the attack. According to police, Akram did not attend the funeral prayers of his father when he died in 2017.
After migrating to Australia, Akram married Venera Grosso, described by police as a woman of European origin. The couple had two children, Naveed and a daughter. The family settled permanently in Australia.
On Tuesday, Australia’s federal police commissioner, Krissy Barrett, said the attack was “a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State.” “The suspected murderers, callous in how they allegedly coordinated their attack, appeared to have no regard for the age or ability of their victims,” Barrett said. “It appears the alleged killers were interested only in a quest for a death tally.”
Authorities said the two suspects were a father and son, aged 50 and 24. A vehicle used by the attackers, registered to the younger suspect, was seized by police. Inside, investigators said they found improvised explosive devices and two homemade flags associated with the So-called Islamic State group.
Australian police are also investigating a trip taken by the two suspects to the Philippines in the month before the attack. The Philippine Bureau of Immigration confirmed that Sajid Akram and his son entered the country on November 1 and departed on November 28. Sajid Akram traveled using an Indian passport, while Naveed Akram used an Australian passport, according to immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval, the BBC reported. The pair declared the southern city of Davao as their final destination and booked return flights to Sydney.
Davao is a large city on the island of Mindanao, a region where Islamist groups have historically operated in impoverished areas of the south and west. Groups such as Abu Sayyaf had, in the past, pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State and hosted small numbers of foreign militants. However, the Philippine military said it could not immediately confirm reports that the two men had received “military-style training” during their stay. Philippine security officials added that decades of military operations have significantly weakened militant groups in the region and that there has been no recent indication of foreign militants operating there. Australian officials said the purpose of the Philippines trip and the locations visited remain under investigation.
(Rohit Kumar)
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