A father and son were behind a horror terror attack at Bondi Beach, Sydney, that killed at least 15 people during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration, with the son’s mother defending him as a ‘good boy’
A father and son duo were allegedly behind a horrific terror assault at Bondi Beach, Sydney, it has emerged. Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, unleashed gunfire on a Jewish Hanukkah gathering on Sunday, claiming the lives of at least 15 people. Officers gunned down Sajid at the scene, whilst Naveed was taken into custody by New South Wales Police.
The rampage claimed victims aged from a 10 year old girl to an 87 year old pensioner, authorities confirmed.
At least 42 others were still receiving treatment in Sydney hospitals on Monday morning, with at least five battling for their lives, reports the Mirror. It has now emerged that Sajid ran a fruit shop, according to news.com.au, whilst his son was an out-of-work bricklayer.
Naveed’s mother Verena revealed the 24 year old had deceived the family about his weekend plans.
Police cordoned off the family residence on Sunday evening, but Verena told reporters gathered outside that she had spoken with her son earlier that day.
He had informed the family he was spending the weekend angling with his father.
“He rings me up [on Sunday] and said, ‘Mum, I just went for a swim. I went scuba diving. We’re going… to eat now’,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald. “‘[This morning] we’re going to stay home now because it’s very hot’.”
She described him as a “good boy” who wasn’t capable of violence or extremism. She added: “He doesn’t have a firearm. He doesn’t even go out.
“He doesn’t mix around with friends. He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t go to bad places.”
Naveed had been grafting as a bricklayer until his employer went bust just months earlier, she explained.
He shared the three-bedroom property with his mum, dad, and younger siblings. Authorities revealed that one shooter was on their radar, though New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon stressed they had no intel suggesting an imminent assault.
The reason behind the carnage remains unclear. The chaos unfolded as a summer’s day drew to a close, with thousands having descended on Bondi Beach – a jewel in Australia’s cultural crown.
Among the crowds were hundreds who had gathered for the Chanukah by the Sea celebration marking the beginning of the eight-day Hanukkah festival.
The festivities featured face painting and a petting zoo before pandemonium broke out. Emergency crews rushed to the scene around 6.45pm following reports of gunfire, police confirmed.
Footage captured by witnesses showed beachgoers in swimwear fleeing the water as shots echoed across the sand. Additional video revealed two men clad in black shirts unleashing gunfire with rifles from a footbridge overlooking the beach.
One remarkable piece of footage aired on Australian TV captured a man seemingly wrestling with and disarming one of the alleged attackers, before turning the gunman’s own weapon on him and placing it on the ground.
Minns hailed the man – named by his family to Australian media as fruit shop proprietor Ahmed al Ahmed – as a “genuine hero.”
Arsen Ostrovsky, a solicitor who was at the Hanukkah celebration with his wife and daughters, sustained a graze to his head from a bullet. Ostrovsky revealed he had relocated from Israel to Australia just a fortnight earlier to work with a Jewish advocacy organisation.
“What I witnessed today was pure evil, just an absolute bloodbath. Bodies strewn everywhere,” he told The Associated Press via email from hospital.
“I never thought would be possible here in Australia.”
The slaughter at one of Australia’s most beloved beaches came after a series of antisemitic incidents that have shaken the nation over the past year, though authorities haven’t linked those events to Sunday’s shooting.
It marked the most lethal shooting in nearly three decades in a country known for its stringent firearms regulations.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared: “What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location, Bondi Beach, that is associated with joy, associated with families gathering, associated with celebrations.
“It is forever tarnished by what has occurred.” Two makeshift explosive devices were discovered at the location and bomb disposal specialists made them safe.
Lanyon characterised them as “rudimentary” contraptions that would have been set off by a wick rather than by phone or electronic means. Minns confirmed there would “almost certainly” be changes to firearms legislation following the tragedy.
The 50 year old shooter, who was killed during the incident, was discovered to have possessed six weapons when officers searched the premises where he had been residing, according to police.
Concerns over how he managed to obtain these firearms intensified on Monday, particularly given that mass shootings are exceptionally uncommon in Australia.
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