Bondi Beach Shooter Sajid Akram's Ties to India Remain Tenuous: Police
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Telangana Police have clarified that Sajid Akram, the Australian national killed in a shootout after a terrorist attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach, maintained limited contact with his family in Hyderabad for nearly three decades. Despite holding an Indian passport, Akram visited India only six times, primarily for property-related matters and to visit his elderly parents. Notably, he did not travel to India even after his father's death, highlighting his tenuous ties to the country. Akram, a 50-year-old man, was originally from Hyderabad, where he completed his B.Com degree before migrating to Australia in 1998. His family in India has expressed no knowledge of his alleged radical mindset or activities, or the circumstances leading to his radicalization. The Telangana Police statement underscores that the factors behind Akram's radicalization appear to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana. Akram's son, Naveed Akram, 24, was also involved in the attack, which killed 15 people and injured at least 42 others. The father-son duo opened fire at a Hanukkah event before being engaged by police. While Naveed remains hospitalized under police guard, Sajid Akram was shot dead during the encounter. The investigation into the December 14 attack continues, with multiple agencies across countries probing the incident. The Philippines' Bureau of Immigration has confirmed that Sajid Akram and his son traveled to the Philippines shortly before the attack, where they were spotted in Davao, a region with a history of Islamic State-linked activity. Australian officials have described the shooting as a targeted terrorist attack driven by Islamic State ideology.
