Fresh details have emerged in the probe into Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in decades, with Telangana Police confirming that Sajid Akram, one of the accused in the Bondi Beach terror attack, was originally from Hyderabad. The clarification corrects earlier reports that had identified the attacker as being of Pakistani origin.
In a statement, Telangana Police said Sajid Akram had migrated to Australia nearly 27 years ago, in November 1998, after completing his B Com in Hyderabad.
He had limited contact with his family in Hyderabad over the years, visiting India only six times, primarily for family-related reasons such as property matters and visits to his elderly parents.
The police added that his radicalisation and actions appeared to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana. Sajid carried an Indian passport, while his son Naveed Akram, 24 and daughter, born in Australia, are Australian citizens.
Telangana police also confirmed that Sajid Akram had no adverse record in India prior to his migration.
The attack unfolded on Sunday at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah event, when Sajid Akram, 50 and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram opened fire on crowds from a raised pedestrian boardwalk.
16 people were killed, including a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi, a retired police officer and a Holocaust survivor, while over 25 others were injured, six of them critically.
Police said the attackers fired for nearly 10 minutes, triggering panic as families and tourists fled across the packed beachfront. Sajid Akram was shot dead in a gunfight with police at the scene, while Naveed was arrested and remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition under police guard.
Australian authorities have declared the shooting a terrorist incident. Investigators recovered improvised explosive devices and two homemade flags linked to the Islamic State (IS) from a vehicle registered in Naveed’s name. Police also seized multiple firearms, some of which Sajid legally owned under a recreational firearms licence.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the attackers were radicalised by an “ideology of hate”, adding that the attack was intended to terrorise Australia’s Jewish community. He described the shooting as “an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, and an act of terrorism.”
Security agencies are also probing the duo’s recent travel to the Philippines, where they reportedly stayed last month. Philippine immigration authorities confirmed that the men entered the country on November 1 and departed on November 28. Australian police said the purpose of the trip and reports of possible “military-style training” remain under investigation.
According to New South Wales Police, the two men had told family members they were going on a fishing trip but were instead staying at a short-term rental in Sydney’s Campsie suburb, where investigators later recovered additional firearms.
Australian intelligence agency ASIO had assessed Naveed Akram in 2019 due to concerns about his associations but did not classify him as an imminent threat at the time. Albanese said there was no intelligence failure.
Bondi Beach remained an active crime scene on Tuesday as forensic and ballistic investigations continued, though authorities said the area is expected to reopen by Wednesday afternoon.
The attack has reignited debate over gun laws in Australia, with the Prime Minister signalling possible tightening of firearms regulations, despite the country’s already strict gun control framework.
Flags across Australia were lowered to half-mast to honour the victims, as the nation mourns a tragedy that shattered what had been a festive gathering at one of its most famous public spaces.