Australian authorities have identified a father and son as prime suspects behind a deadly attack targeting a Jewish community event celebrating the first day of Hanukkah at the famous Bondi Beach on Sunday evening, officials said.
Two gunmen shot dead 16 people and injured dozens more in a Sydney suburb while they were celebrating the event. The police officials on Monday said that the attacks were being treated as an act of terrorism. The suspects have been identified as Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed Akram.
The New South Wales Police Commissioner, Mal Lanyon, later confirmed that Sajid was shot dead by the police while his son remains in “critical but stable condition”. The commissioner also said that “Sajid Akram legally owned six firearms,” adding, “Police officials had no prior knowledge of either of these men.”
After the shootout, investigators believe that both of the suspects had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the shooting as an “evil act of anti-Semitism and terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation.”
He said, “The attack on the Jewish community is an attack on the entirety of Australia.” The attack has heightened concerns over rising anti-Semitism in Australia amid ongoing tensions related to the Israel-Gaza conflict that began in 2023.
Also Read: 12 dead in Sydney’s Bondi Beach shooting
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