Australian PM says Sydney shooting was driven by ISIS ideology

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on December 16 that the gunmen responsible for the mass shooting at a Jewish celebration in Sydney on December 14 were driven by “Islamic State ideology.”

Speaking in a radio interview with ABC Sydney, Albanese said investigators believe the suspects had been radicalised by beliefs associated with the Islamic State militant group. “Radical perversion of Islam is absolutely a problem,” the prime minister said.

Police said the attackers travelled to the scene in a car in which officers later found two homemade Islamic State flags. Authorities also recovered improvised explosive devices from the vehicle. The suspects were identified as a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son.

At a news conference, officials named the older suspect, who was shot and killed by police at the scene, as Sajid Akram. While police had initially declined to release the identities of the suspects, Australian media had already widely reported that the second suspect was Akram’s son, Naveed.

Authorities said Tuesday morning that both men had traveled to the Philippines last month, and that the purpose of the trip is now under investigation. According to the Philippine Bureau of Immigration, Sajid and Naveed Akram arrived in the country together on November 1, listing Davao as their final destination. Davao is regarded as a gateway to the southern Philippines, a region that continues to be a focal point for Islamic State militant activity. The two men departed the Philippines on November 28.

The Philippine immigration authorities described Sajid Akram as an Indian national, while identifying Naveed as an Australian. Australian officials have confirmed that Naveed is an Australian citizen but have not disclosed details regarding his father’s nationality.

Officials said Sajid Akram was a licensed firearms owner and legally possessed six registered guns. His son was injured during the incident and remains in a coma.

Authorities also confirmed that Naveed Akram had previously come to the attention of law enforcement in 2019, though officials said he was assessed at the time as not posing an immediate threat. His father was also interviewed during that earlier inquiry.

Australian media have reported, citing unnamed police sources, that the 2019 investigation focused on Naveed Akram’s alleged links to a self-proclaimed Islamic State commander based in Sydney who was later prosecuted for plotting a terrorist attack.

By Tamilla Hasanova