Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday the Bondi Beach mass shooting appeared to be motivated by “Islamic State ideology”.
Mr Albanese told ABC Sydney that an “ideology of hate” likely motivated two gunmen to kill 15 people on Sunday during the Jewish religious holiday Hanukkah.
“This appears to be driven by ISIS ideology,” he said of the terror group. “This ideology has been around for more than a decade and has led to this ideology of hate and, in this case, preparations for mass murder.”
He added that all information police have received so far indicates that the two gunmen acted alone.
This world-famous beach attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year (PA)
His comments came after it was revealed that one of the gunmen involved in the shooting had previously been investigated for links to the Sydney-based Islamic State terror group.
Naveed Akram, 24, was investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) for six months in 2019 but was cleared as a risk after “an assessment showed there was no indication that he was under any ongoing threat or threatened to engage in violence”.
Albanese said Akram was being investigated “for his links to others suspected of terrorist activities”, two of whom were subsequently jailed.
The Australian leader said the 24-year-old was interviewed by the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) along with his family and acquaintances but “was not considered a person of interest at the time”.
“Now, whether and what circumstances he was further radicalized afterward is the subject of further investigation.”
The recently unemployed bricklayer and his 50-year-old shop owner father Sajid Akram opened fire on Sunday during the Jewish religious holiday of Hanukkah, killing at least 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl.
The two men reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS during the killings and flags associated with the group were said to have been found in their car.
However, Mr Albanese said there was no evidence linking the Akram family to wider terror groups and said the bribe takers acted alone. But the Prime Minister continued that they were clearly driven by extremist ideology.
“There is no evidence of collusion or that these individuals were part of an organization,” the Australian leader told the country’s national broadcaster ABC.
Members of the Jewish community mourn the victims killed in the Bondi terror attack (AFP/Getty)
The tragedy prompted Australia to review its gun laws. A meeting of the country’s national cabinet concluded that “immediate, strong, decisive and focused action is needed on gun law reform” after Sajid was identified as a licensed weapons holder with six registered firearms and holding a recreational category A/B license.
Cabinet has committed to a number of actions, including using criminal intelligence when issuing licenses, restricting gun ownership and certain types of firearms and requiring Australian citizenship to obtain a license.
After the shooting, multiple victims were named, including “bright” and “happy” 10-year-old Matilda, 41-year-old British rabbi Eli Schlanger and Holocaust survivor Alex Kleitman.
At least 27 people continue to be treated in hospital, six of whom remain in critical condition. The injured included two police officers, one of whom, Scott Dyson, was said to be seriously injured but in stable condition.
Ahmed Ahmed hailed as ‘hero’ for fighting gunman during mass shooting (Chris Minns)
A ‘hero’ greengrocer who has raised more than $1.7 million (£844,000) for charity was seen pushing a man to the ground before wresting his rifle from his hands.
Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, a father-of-two, told his cousin he had set up an ambush and “went down to save people’s lives” before attacking the man.
He told Jozay Alkanj to send a message to his family if he himself was shot. “I’m dying – please meet my family [and tell them] “I went down to save people’s lives,” he reportedly said.
Mr Ahmed suffered gunshot wounds to his arm and hand and was said to be in “good spirits”.
Matilda, 10, described as a “bright” and “happy” child (GoFundMe
His father Mohammad Fateh Ahmed said: “My son is a hero, he served in the police and central security forces and he had the urge to protect people.
“When he saw people lying on the ground and blood everywhere, his conscience and soul immediately compelled him to jump on a terrorist and get rid of his weapon.
“I feel proud and honored that my son is an Australian hero.”
Sajid was shot dead at the crime scene and Navid was seriously injured and taken to hospital under police guard. He is expected to survive and may face criminal charges.
Sir Keir Starmer has reassured Britain’s Jewish community that the incident was a “shocking anti-Semitic attack”.
“This is clearly not an isolated incident,” he told the parliamentary liaison committee on Monday. “I would like to reassure the UK’s Jewish community that we will take every possible step to [and] Use all our powers to keep them safe in the UK. “
