Fifteen people were killed in a terrorist attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday, in what authorities describe as Australia's worst mass shooting. Police have charged a father and son duo, alleging they were responsible for the atrocity.
The Accused: A Bricklayer and His Father
Police allege that Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, carried out the attack. Naveed Akram has now been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act. Authorities state the evidence suggests the attack was "inspired" by the Islamic State group.
Naveed Akram was described by former colleagues as a quiet, hardworking bricklayer who kept to himself. He began an apprenticeship after finishing a vocational course in 2019, which was also the year he reportedly came under a six-month investigation by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the probe, stating the assessment at the time concluded "there was no indication of any ongoing threat" of violence from the younger Akram.
Missed Signals and a Philippines Trip
Investigators are now scrutinising whether several key events should have raised alarms. A major focus is the fact that Sajid Akram was granted a firearms licence in 2023 and subsequently acquired six registered firearms, despite living with his son who had been under ASIO scrutiny.
Further questions surround a trip the pair took to the Philippines for four weeks in November, returning just over a fortnight before the attack. Their listed destination was Davao, near a known terrorist hotspot. To fund the trip, Naveed Akram had told his boss he broke his wrist boxing and requested his leave entitlements be paid out, claiming he could not work until 2026.
In the weeks after their return, the pair spent time at a short-term rental in Campsie before allegedly driving to Bondi Beach on Sunday. Police say their car contained four firearms, two homemade Islamic State flags, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
A Family Under the Microscope
The Akram family lived in a house in Bonnyrigg, western Sydney. Neighbours described them as private. Land records show Sajid transferred his share of the property to his wife in February 2024. Sajid, a permanent resident who arrived from India in 1998, had minimal contact with family in Hyderabad in recent years.
Following the attack, police raided the Bonnyrigg home, escorting out Akram's mother and two others. They are not suspected of any involvement. The investigation has also drawn in others from the periphery of the Akrams' lives, including a sheikh who taught Naveed Quran recitation in 2019, who expressed horror at the violence.
As the community mourns, the investigation continues to piece together the final 16 days of planning and examine every potential warning sign that preceded Australia's deadliest terrorist attack.
