Australian police have seized a chilling ISIS-style propaganda video allegedly filmed by the father and son responsible for the deadly terrorist attack at Bondi Beach. The footage, discovered at a rented Airbnb property, shows Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid, 50, expressing extremist views prior to the shooting that left 15 people dead and 42 injured.
Propaganda Video and Attack Details
The video was recovered from the Campsie Airbnb the pair had rented before the alleged attack. Authorities believe it was filmed in Australia, though the exact timing remains unclear. This discovery adds a critical dimension to the investigation into the pair's terrorist motivations.
On the first night of Hanukkah, the Akrams arrived at the famous Sydney beach in a silver hatchback, allegedly armed with up to six rifles and carrying extra ammunition. Positioned on a footbridge at the north end, they opened fire on crowds of Jewish people celebrating the festival. Police shot Sajid dead at the scene, while Naveed was critically injured and remains under police guard in hospital.
Known to Security Services and Philippine Trip Probe
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that Naveed Akram was previously known to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). The agency investigated him in 2019 over associations with a Sydney-based Islamic State terrorist cell. However, a six-month probe at that time found "no evidence" he or his father had been radicalised.
Consequently, neither man was on a terrorist watch list, and Sajid, a small business owner and licensed recreational hunter, was not prevented from legally owning firearms. Police later seized six firearms following the attack.
A major line of inquiry is the pair's one-month trip to the Philippines in November. Immigration records show they spent most of the month there, with Davao in the south as their final destination. Authorities are investigating whether they met with or underwent militant training with Islamic extremists in the region, a known terrorist hotbed.
Ongoing Investigation and Intelligence Questions
The investigation continues to piece together the attackers' links to Islamic extremism. Two homemade Islamic State flags were found in a car registered to Naveed near the shooting scene, further solidifying the terrorist intent behind the assault.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has defended intelligence agencies against claims of failure for not scrutinising the Philippines trip more closely. "I don't believe it was an intelligence failure at all," he stated, emphasising that the investigation into their travel motives is ongoing and that assessments are being made retrospectively after a "horrific crime".
The thorough joint investigation by NSW Police and the Australian Federal Police aims to uncover the full extent of the plot and any potential networks involved.
