Australian authorities have confirmed that the Dec. 14 mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, which killed 15 people and injured dozens, was an antisemitic terrorist act inspired by Islamic State (ISIS) ideology.
The alleged perpetrators are a father-and-son duo identified as Sajid Akram (50, killed by police) and Naveed Akram (24, hospitalized and expected to face charges). According to CNN and the New York Times, suspects left behind physical evidence, while ABC News and Sydney Morning Herald reported prior links that raised questions about radicalization.
The official confirmation came from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who stated that the attack “would appear to be motivated by Islamic State ideology,” describing it as an act driven by a “hateful ideology,” according to a live update from CNN.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett echoed this, calling it “a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State,” with no evidence of direct operational control from the group, according to the BBC.
ISIS has not claimed responsibility for the attack. According to a report from the New York Times, this is consistent with its pattern of encouraging “inspired” independent attacks rather than formally directed ones.
Physical evidence included two homemade Islamic State flags and improvised explosive devices recovered from the suspects’ vehicle at the scene, according to CNN. Some accounts note one flag was draped across the vehicle’s windshield or hood.
The suspects traveled to the Philippines from Nov. 1 to 28 , spending time in Mindanao (including Davao), a region long associated with ISIS-affiliated groups like Abu Sayyaf and known for insurgent activity, according to CNN. Security sources, speaking to ABC Australia, indicate the pair may have received “military-style training” there, though direct ties to specific groups remain under investigation and unconfirmed.
In 2019, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation investigated then-18-year-old Naveed Akram for ties to a Sydney-based pro-ISIS network, which included contact with preachers and recruiters such as Wisam Haddad and Youssef Uweinat. He was assessed as low-risk with no ongoing monitoring required.
Local Australian media reported Dec. 15 that Akram has woken from his coma and is conscious in hospital.
This is a developing story.
The post Emerging evidence points to ISIS-inspired motive in deadly Bondi Beach terror attack appeared first on CatholicVote org.