KEY POINTS
- Sajid Akram left India for Australia 27 years ago.
- Attack killed 15 during Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
- Shooter’s son Naveed held Australian citizenship.
- Indian police say Akram had no criminal record.
- Telangana police confirm Akram hailed from Hyderabad.
NEW DELHI: Indian police confirmed on Tuesday that Sajid Akram, one of the two gunmen responsible for the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia, was an Indian citizen who left the country 27 years ago.
Akram, along with his son Naveed—who is recorded as an Australian citizen in immigration records—opened fire on attendees celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah on Sunday, killing 15 people.
Police have described the incident as a terrorist attack and said the suspects were motivated by Islamic State ideology. Two homemade ISIS flags and improvised explosive devices were recovered from a vehicle linked to the attackers.
Both suspects are in custody, and investigations are continuing across multiple jurisdictions, as authorities examine travel records, online activity, and possible international connections.
“Sajid Akram is originally from Hyderabad, India. He… migrated to Australia in search of employment approximately 27 years ago, in November 1998,” police in India’s southern state of Telangana said in a statement.
“As per information available from his relatives in India, Sajid Akram had limited contact with his family in Hyderabad over the past 27 years,” the statement added.
“He visited India on six occasions after migrating to Australia, primarily for family-related reasons such as property matters and visits to his elderly parents. It is understood that he did not travel to India even at the time of his father’s demise.”
Islamic State Ideology
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the father and son responsible for one of the country’s deadliest mass shootings were motivated by Islamic State ideology.
“It would appear that this was motivated by Islamic State ideology,” Albanese told national broadcaster ABC.
“With the rise of ISIS more than a decade ago, the world has been grappling with extremism and this hateful ideology,” he said in a separate interview.
No Knowledge of Radical Mindset
“The family members have expressed no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his radicalization,” Telangana police said in a statement.
“The factors that led to the radicalisation of Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed, appear to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana,” it added.
“Telangana Police remain committed to cooperating with central agencies and other counterparts, as and when required, and urges the public and media to avoid speculation or attribution without verified facts,” it said.
Attacker Traveled to Philippines on Indian Passport
Philippine authorities have also confirmed that the father-and-son duo traveled to the Philippines in the weeks preceding the attack, prompting renewed scrutiny of their movements and potential international connections.
The Philippine Bureau of Immigration and Deportation told CNN that 50-year-old Sajid Akram entered the country on 1 November 2025 using an Indian passport, while his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, arrived on an Australian passport.
Both listed Davao, a major city on the southern island of Mindanao, as their intended destination. Philippine immigration officials reported that the pair left the country on 28 November, flying from Davao to Manila before continuing on to Sydney.
