Bondi Beach Shooting Suspects Traveled to Philippines Before Attack

TheBondi Beach mass shooting that stunned Sydney has widened into an international probe. Police are examining why a father and son visited the Philippines about a month before the attack, and whether they met extremist contacts there. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the attack appeared driven by “Islamic State ideology.”

What happened at Bondi Beach

On Sunday evening a father and son opened fire at a crowd gathered for Hanukkah celebrations at Bondi Beach. Police say the attack killed 15 people — including a 10-year-old girl, a Holocaust survivor and a local rabbi — and left dozens wounded. Emergency services rushed 42 people to hospital with gunshot and other injuries.

Police shot dead the father at the scene. The son, identified as 24-year-old Naveed Akram, remains in a coma under police guard. Authorities say the pair were carrying Indian passports.

Who the suspects are

Police identify the father as 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his son Naveed. Officials say Sajid was killed by officers at Bondi; Naveed survived but is critically injured and under guard in hospital. Australian media and officials have reported the pair targeted Jewish crowds deliberately to sow panic among the Jewish community.

Evidence, motive and prior attention

Investigators recovered improvised explosive devices and two homemade ISIS flags in a vehicle registered to Naveed near the beach. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told ABC it “would appear that this was motivated by Islamic State ideology,” and said Australia continues to wrestle with the spread of extremist ideology.

Albanese also confirmed that Naveed had previously come to the attention of Australia’s intelligence agency in 2019, but was not considered an imminent threat at that time.

The Philippines trip under scrutiny

A key line of inquiry is a trip the suspects made to the Philippines about a month before the attack. New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said investigators are trying to establish why they went, where they went, and who they met while in the Philippines. Authorities are exploring whether the trip involved contact with Islamist extremists.

Public response and aftermath

Thousands of Australians rallied to help the wounded: Red Cross Australia said more than 7,000 people donated blood in a single day, a national record. A growing makeshift memorial at Bondi Beach has drawn mourners lighting candles and holding vigils; the community has come together to comfort victims’ families and remember the dead.

Police investigations are ongoing, with detectives following overseas and domestic leads. Officials warn more details will emerge as inquiries — including the role of the Philippines trip — progress.

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