Bondi Beach shooter Sajid Akram cleared by system; licence delayed due to bureaucratic error

People help clear trubutes outside Bondi Pavilion. PIC/GETTY IMAGES

Sajid Akram, accused of shooting dead 15 people at Sydney's Bondi Beach in an antisemitic attack, faced a lengthy delay in getting a gun licence because of a bureaucratic mishap, not because he raised suspicions.

Sajid, who was killed by police during the attack, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, are accused of assailing hundreds of Jews celebrating Hanukkah on December 14.

Chris Minns, New South Wales premier, on Tuesday confirmed that the father applied for a state license to own firearms in 2000, three years before it was granted. The process typically takes six to 10 weeks.

"The latest information that we have is that there was a real mess in relation to the bureaucracy when it comes to gun licenses and the delays related to that - not a specific threat," Minns said. Naveed, was investigated by Australian intelligence in 2019 over his extremist links.

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