The alleged perpetrators of a terror attack on a Jewish event in Sydney on Sunday night were inspired by Islamic State and had travelled to the Philippines last month, Australian authorities said.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese told a press conference on Tuesday that there was evidence the attack was “inspired” by Islamic State (also known as Isis), which he said followed an “evil ideology”.
“Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State, allegedly committed by a father and son,” said Krissy Barrett, Australian federal police commissioner.
She said there was no evidence that other individuals were involved in the attack, but cautioned that “this could change, given it is early in our investigation”.
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The attack on Sunday targeted a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, one of Australia’s most famous landmarks, and claimed the lives of 15 people. Health officials said 24 people remain in hospital, including three children.
[ Denis Staunton: Attack makes both Jews and Muslims feel less safeOpens in new window ]
Mal Lanyon, the New South Wales police commissioner, confirmed reports that the two gunmen – named by police on Tuesday as Sajid Akram (50), and his son Naveed (24) – travelled to the Philippines last month.
He said it was not known what their movements were in the southeast Asian country. “We continue to work through the motive of this tragedy.”
The father travelled on an Indian passport - It emerged on Tuesday that he was from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. The son was on an Australian passport, officials said, adding it was not conclusive they were linked to any terrorist group or whether they received training in the country.
The statements from authorities followed a report by broadcaster ABC Australia that said the pair had travelled to the southern Philippines for military training weeks before they launched the attack, which came on the first night of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights.
Mr Lanyon also confirmed that the vehicle used by the gunmen had contained two home-made Islamic State flags. Footage published online on Tuesday, captured by the dashcam of a passing car, showed a black flag draped over the windscreen of the gunmen’s vehicle, which was later found to contain two explosive devices.
The footage also showed a couple who were killed while attempting to stop one of the gunmen. The couple have been identified as Boris Gurman (69) and Sofia Gurman (61).
Sajid Akram, who was later intercepted and disarmed by a bystander, died at the scene. Naveed Akram is in custody, in a coma.
Australia’s police response and intelligence services have come under criticism in the wake of the attack, which was the deadliest in Australia in almost three decades.
Naveed Akram had been investigated by Australian intelligence services in 2019 due to his associations with other people being probed, but he was deemed to be of no direct threat.
Australia has also moved to toughen its gun laws after Sajid Akram was found to have legally owned six high-powered “long-arm” weapons.
Chris Taylor, a security analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think-tank, said one of the gunmen’s alleged “historical association with Isis sympathisers” failing to elicit a response showed that intelligence agencies needed to “further evolve to better address such threats”.
Chris Minns, New South Wales state premier, pushed back on criticism of the initial police response during the attack, and the amount of time gunmen were able to fire into the Jewish event before they were shot by officers.
“Now there are two officers in critical care in New South Wales hospitals at the moment,” Mr Minns said. “They weren’t shot in the back as they were running away. They were shot in the front.”
Police in the southern Indian state of Telangana said Sajid Akram graduated with a degree in commerce in Hyderabad.
He moved to Australia in November 1998 to find work and married a woman described as of European origin, with whom he had a son and a daughter. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
