The suspected father-son pair responsible for the tragic deaths of at least 15 individuals at the Hanukkah festival in Bondi Beach on Sunday have previously been scrutinized by Australian intelligence due to potential ties to the Islamic State. An ISIS flag was reportedly discovered in their vehicle following what appears to have been an anti-Semitic assault.
On Monday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese informed journalists that Naveed Akram, 24, initially caught the interest of authorities back in 2019. This led to a six-month investigation by ASIO, Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, focused on his supposed connections to a local ISIS group.
“He was assessed based on his interactions, and it was concluded that there were no signs of any ongoing threat or violent behavior from him,” Albanese explained.
According to reports, Akram, who sustained injuries during the attack and is currently in police custody, was initially detected for allegedly engaging with extremist online content and collaborating with other radicals.
Public broadcaster ABC stated that intelligence officials have connected him to Isaac El Matari, an ISIS militant who is currently imprisoned for planning a jihadist upheaval in Australia.
Moreover, the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team (JCTT) reportedly suspects that Naveed and his father, Sajid Akram, who was killed during the incident, had previously expressed allegiance to ISIS. JCTT mentioned that an ISIS flag was found in their vehicle on Sunday.
Despite this, both the New South Wales Police and the Albanese administration have not indicated that Islamic extremism was the motive behind the attack, which seemingly targeted Jewish individuals celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach. Premier Albanese noted that neither attacker was on any watchlist at the time, and NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon remarked that authorities had “limited knowledge of these two men” prior to the incident.
Greg Barton, a counterterrorism expert at Deakin University, pointed out that people might wonder if authorities had overlooked important details regarding Naveed Akram, leading them to question whether sufficient measures were in place to monitor him.
Authorities have been quite reserved about the background of the suspected attacker. On Monday, Home Secretary Tony Burke revealed that Naveed Akram was a native Australian, having moved to Australia as a student in 1998 and later obtaining a resident return visa, though his country of origin was not disclosed.
In contrast, it has been reported that the father-son duo visited the Philippines in November. The Islamic State of East Asia (ISEA), a notable ISIS affiliate, operates there and has been labeled a terrorist organization by the Australian government since 2017. It remains unclear whether there was any interaction between the Akrams and ISEA during their trip.
Israeli intelligence indicated they are probing whether foreign state actors, particularly Iran, played a role in facilitating the attack on the Jewish community at Bondi Beach.
On Monday, the Albanese government announced intentions to tighten Australia’s existing gun control laws after it was revealed that Sajid Akram was a licensed owner of six firearms. The Prime Minister mentioned that the government would consider automatic expiry of gun licenses and aims to finalize a long-discussed national gun registry.
Some people, including Australian senator Pauline Hanson, attributed the attack to large-scale immigration, warning voters about the potential consequences of their political choices.
