One of the men accused of carrying out the deadly Bondi Beach shooting was a known associate of convicted ISIS terrorist Isaac El Matari, it has been revealed. Naveed Akram, 24, was investigated by Australia's domestic intelligence agency, ASIO, in 2019 due to this connection but was ultimately not deemed an ongoing threat.
Details of the Attack and Alleged Gunmen
Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid, 50, are alleged to have killed 15 people and injured 40 others after opening fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sunday night. Police shot Sajid Akram dead at the scene, while his son was taken to hospital with critical injuries.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed on Monday that Naveed Akram had been investigated by ASIO in 2019 over his involvement with 'individuals of concern'. The six-month probe concluded he did not appear to pose a continuing danger to the public.
Links to Extremist Network and Radical Influencers
The investigation was triggered by Akram's connection to hate-preaching influencer Isaac El Matari, 26, who was arrested in July 2019 for being a member of Islamic State and planning a terrorist act. El Matari remains behind bars despite becoming eligible for parole in January this year.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister stated that evidence suggested the attack was inspired by a terrorist organisation, specifically ISIS. He pointed to the discovery of Islamic State flags in the seized vehicle as part of that evidence.
'[The] radical, perversion of Islam is absolutely a problem,' Mr Albanese said. 'ISIS created an evil ideology that has been called out, not just by the Australian government but globally right now.'
Furthermore, the ASIO investigation found Naveed Akram was a follower of pro-Islamic State preacher Wisam Haddad, a religious leader with longstanding ties to Australian terrorists and foreign jihadist figures. Haddad, who has been monitored by ASIO for years but never charged, has vehemently denied any knowledge of or involvement in the shootings.
History of the Linked ISIS Terrorist
El Matari was exposed to radicalised beliefs from around age 15. After returning to Australia from Lebanon in 2018, where he had been jailed for attempting to join IS, he began plotting to establish an IS insurgency in Australia. He pleaded guilty to preparing for a terrorist act and preparing to enter Afghanistan for hostile activity.
However, during his 2021 Supreme Court hearing, Justice Peter Garling noted that while El Matari held 'grandiose ideas', he had only 'generalised plans' and the risk of his plot being actioned was 'very low'. He was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison.
Aftermath, Investigation, and Security Review
The attack has been officially declared a terrorist incident. A video has surfaced showing Naveed Akram preaching Islamic beliefs to schoolboys outside Bankstown train station in 2019.
Investigators believe the duo had pledged allegiance to ISIS. The government has pledged to review gun laws, as Sajid Akram was a licensed firearms holder since 2015. All six firearms registered to him, found at the scene, were legally owned. Both men were members of local gun clubs.
ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess stated that while one individual was known to the agency, he was not seen as an immediate threat. The spy agency is now reviewing the case and searching for others who might plot similar attacks, though there is no current indication of further intent in the community.
Prime Minister Albanese revealed Sajid Akram came to Australia in 1998 on a student visa. Among the 15 dead is a ten-year-old girl, a local rabbi, an Israeli man, and a French citizen. The victims' ages range from 10 to 87. Twenty-five people remain in hospital, with six in a critical condition.
