The alleged gunmen behind the Bondi beach attack are a father-son duo suspected of using legally obtained firearms to commit the massacre, according to police.
Sajid Akram (50), was shot dead by police at the scene. His son, Naveed Akram (24), was shot. His condition was described as critical.
The pair allegedly killed 15 people, with dozens more injured in the shootings, which took place on Sunday during a gathering to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.
Naveed Akram reportedly told his family they were going away for a weekend trip when he left the small bungalow in Bonnyrigg where he lived, in Sydney’s far western suburbs.
His mother told the Sydney Morning Herald: “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 ... he goes to work, he comes home, he goes to exercise, and that’s it,” she said. “Anyone would wish to have a son like my son ... he’s a good boy.”
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Naveed Akram, a bricklayer, was arrested at the scene and taken to a Sydney hospital with critical injuries.
The son was known to New South Wales police and security agencies, while his father had a firearms licence with six weapons registered to him. All six firearms have been recovered, police said.
The 24-year-old came under the attention of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) in October 2019, according to the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese. He was examined for six months because of his alleged associations with others, with the Australian broadcaster ABC reporting claims that the counter-terror investigation involved an Islamic State cell.
“[Naveed Akram] was examined on the basis of being associated with others and the assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence,” Mr Albanese said.
New South Wales police commissoner Maly Lanyon would not comment on reports claiming a manifesto or black Islamic State flag were found in the car driven to the scene by the alleged attackers.
Naveed Sajid was an Australian-born citizen. His father had arrived in the country on a student visa in 1998, transferred in 2001 to a partner visa and had since been on resident return visas.
Until recently, Naveed Akram had been working as a bricklayer. The man who employed him said he took him as an apprentice six years ago, describing him as a hard worker who never had time off.
He said Mr Akram reported a couple of months ago that he had broken his wrist while boxing, and would not be able to work again until 2026.
“He asked for all his entitlements paid up, annual leave and everything, but a lot of guys do that at end of year anyway,” said the employer, who did not wish to be named.
“Now you can’t help but think, him getting all his money out, what’s he going to spend it on.”
He said he was considered a quiet person: “He didn’t associate with anyone else out of hours ... he’d have lunch himself, not with anyone else.”
“He had been doing some boxing outside of hours ... he said the doctor told him have a couple of months off,” the employer said. “I asked if he could come back a bit sooner ... being a good worker and everything, I thought, I don’t want to lose this guy.
Another bricklayer described Naveed as a strange colleague but a hard worker who had an interest in hunting. “No one was close to him,” said the former colleague, who did not wish to be named.
“You spend a lot of time together, obviously bricklaying – [which is a] pretty mind-numbing job, so you do a lot of talking, but he was just a weird operator.”
Although authorities have not said the son was a licensed firearms holder, the colleague claimed he hunted regularly, and spoke about shooting rabbits and other game around Crookwell, in the state’s southern tablelands. – The Guardian and agencies
