ABC Australia: Sydney Beach Shooting Suspect Linked to Islamic State | WPN World People News

Australia’s national broadcaster ABC reported on the 15th that a major shooting occurred on the 14th at Bondi Beach, one of Sydney’s most popular landmarks, leaving 16 people dead and 40 injured. Police confirmed that the attackers were a father and son and have classified the incident as a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community. The shooting took place during celebrations for the Jewish holiday Hanukkah. According to Agence France-Presse, while police have not publicly announced a motive, they believe the attack clearly constituted an antisemitic act of terrorism.

Investigators revealed that a vehicle parked on Campbell Parade, believed to belong to the gunmen, appeared to have an ISIS flag displayed on its windshield, though New South Wales Police said this has not yet been confirmed. At the time of the attack, the 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram, and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, were dressed in black and stood side by side on a small bridge, firing rifles into the crowd. The father was shot dead during a gunfight with police and became one of the fatalities, while the son was seriously wounded and taken to hospital. Police said Sajid Akram legally owned six firearms, all of which are suspected to have been used in the attack.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Sajid Akram arrived in Australia in 1998 on a student visa and obtained a partner visa in 2001. Naveed Akram lived in the Sydney suburb of Bonnyrigg and had told his mother before the incident that he was going fishing. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that flags nationwide would be flown at half-mast to mourn the 15 victims killed in the Bondi Beach shooting, stressing that it was the deadliest mass shooting in Australia in nearly 30 years.