17 December 2025 Punjab Khabarnama Bureau : One of the two gunmen who carried out the mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing 15 persons during celebrations of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, was originally from India and had migrated to Australia more than three decades ago, official and media reports said on Tuesday.
Australian authorities have identified the attackers as Sajid Akram (50) and his son Naveed Akram (24), a father-son duo. Sajid was killed during the operation to neutralise the attackers, while investigations into the incident — now being treated as a terrorist attack — are continuing.
Police and government officials in Australia said the attack was driven by Islamic State (IS) ideology. Two homemade IS flags and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were recovered from a vehicle registered in Naveed’s name near the beach shortly after the attack.
According to information shared by Indian agencies, Sajid Akram was a resident of Hyderabad and had completed his BCom degree in India before migrating to Australia in the late 1980s in search of employment. He later married a woman of European origin and settled permanently in Australia. Naveed and a daughter were born in Australia and are Australian citizens.
Sajid, however, continued to hold an Indian passport. Sources said he had limited contact with his family in Hyderabad over the past 27 years and visited India on six occasions, mostly for personal and property-related matters. He is understood not to have returned even at the time of his father’s death.
His family members in India told authorities they were unaware of his radical beliefs or activities and expressed shock at the turn of events. They said they had no knowledge of the circumstances that might have led to Sajid and his son’s radicalisation.
Indian officials underlined that there was no evidence linking the radicalisation of the attackers to India or to any local influence in Telangana. The Telangana Police confirmed that there was no adverse record against Sajid during his stay in India prior to his departure.
“The factors that led to the radicalisation appear to have no connection with India,” an official said, adding that the state police were in touch with central agencies and foreign counterparts and would extend full cooperation as required.
Australian PM Anthony Albanese described the massacre as an act of terrorism inspired by Islamic State ideology and said the country would respond with “the full force of the law”.
Authorities in both countries have urged restraint, asking the public and the media to avoid speculation or attribution without verified facts as investigations continue into one of Australia’s deadliest terror attacks in recent years.
Meanwhile, reports have also surfaced that the alleged gunmen had travelled to the Philippines last month, though the purpose of their trip is still under investigation.
Following this, the Philippines and Australia’s top diplomats have agreed to “keep each other closely informed” of developments related to the probe. Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong made the agreement during a phone call on Tuesday.
“The Philippines stands firmly in solidarity with Australia and underscores strong Philippine-Australia cooperation in security and law enforcement matters. We reaffirm our support for efforts that protect communities from intolerance, hatred and violence,” Lazaro said in a post on X.
Summary:
Investigations revealed that one of the shooters involved hailed from Hyderabad and had visited India six times over a span of 27 years. Authorities are examining his travel history and links to understand the broader network and motives behind the incident, as the probe continues.