Father and Son with ISIS Flag and Legal Weapon; Sydney Shooting Story

TEHRAN (Defapress) - On Sunday, 15 Jews were killed in a terrorist attack in Sydney's Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah celebration. The event was attacked by two gunmen, Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, Sajid Akram, 50. The attackers opened fire directly at the participants with licensed weapons. Sajid Akram was killed in a shootout with police, while Naveed Akram was injured and is currently in the hospital under heavy police protection.

According to ABC News, the Australian Internal Security Agency (ASIO) had investigated Naveed Akram six years ago for his close links to a terrorist cell affiliated with the Islamic State group in Sydney. The investigation began in October 2019 and lasted 6 months, but was ultimately deemed not a threat.

Senior officials from the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team (JCTT), which includes the Australian Internal Security Agency, the New South Wales Police, the Australian Federal Police, and the New South Wales Crime Commission, believe the attackers had pledged allegiance to ISIS. A search of the attackers' belongings revealed two ISIS flags, one of which was even visible on the bonnet of the car in footage of the incident.

Naveed Akram had links to key figures in the Sydney-based ISIS cell. Sources say he had close ties to "Matari", the self-proclaimed Australian ISIS commander. Mattari is currently serving seven years in prison for planning to work with ISIS.

The cell included several other Sydney men who had been convicted of terrorism offences and were in prison. Naveed Akram also had links to these individuals. On Sunday, Australia's domestic intelligence chief Mike Burgess confirmed that one of the attackers was a known ISIS member but was not assessed as a potential threat. "One of the individuals was known to us but was not considered a threat. So we need to investigate what happened," he said.

New South Wales police also provided further details about the attackers. Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said at a news conference on Monday morning that Sajid Akram had been licensed to carry firearms for the past 10 years. He had six firearms, all of which were seized at the scene. “He was eligible for a firearms licence and had no criminal record,” the commissioner stressed.

However, authorities admitted they had little information on the two men. Police believe they were the only ones directly involved in the attack and are not looking for anyone else. In addition, two improvised explosive devices were recovered from their car on Campbell Parade, suggesting a greater potential threat.

A massive manhunt has been launched to identify the attackers. Australian police raided the Akram family’s home in Bonnyrigg, southwest of Sydney, on Sunday night, as well as an Airbnb property in Campsie. The search of the Bannirrig home continued into Monday morning.

Naveed’s mother, Venera Akram, told reporters in a brief interview that she would not speak until police arrived. Neighbors described the family as “normal.” Renato Padilla, a neighbor, saw three people – two women and a man – leave the house after 10 p.m. when police called them over a loudspeaker. He added that a second group left after midnight, and then the police entered the house. Another search warrant was executed for a home in Campisi.