In a statement, the office of the Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) said the that one of the suspect, Sajid Akram, migrated to Australia around 27 years ago and had only limited contact with his family in Hyderabad
Mourners react near tributes piled together in memory of the victims of a shooting at Bondi Beach. Pic/AFP
One of the suspects in the recent mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia has been identified as a native of Hyderabad, the Telangana Police said on Tuesday, reported the PTI.
In a statement, the office of the Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) said the that one of the suspect, Sajid Akram, migrated to Australia around 27 years ago and had only limited contact with his family in Hyderabad.
The police clarified that the factors which may have led to the radicalisation of Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed Akram, do not appear to have any connection with India or any local influence in Telangana, according to the PTI.
According to the statement, Sajid Akram completed his Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) degree in Hyderabad before moving to Australia in November 1998 in search of employment.
The Telangana Police said they are in touch with central agencies and are monitoring developments related to the investigation being carried out by Australian authorities.
15 people killed
A mass shooting in which 15 people were killed during a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach was “a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State,” Australia’s federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett said on Tuesday, AP reported.
The suspects, a father and son aged 50 and 24, were identified by authorities. The older man was shot dead, while his son was being treated in hospital on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s news conference by political and law enforcement leaders was the first time officials publicly confirmed their assessment of the suspects’ ideologies.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the remarks were based on evidence collected, including “the presence of Islamic State flags in the vehicle that has been seized”.
There are 25 people still receiving treatment in hospitals following Sunday’s massacre, including 10 in critical condition. Three of them are admitted to a children’s hospital.
Among the injured is a man who was captured on video tackling and disarming one assailant, before pointing the man’s weapon at him and then setting it on the ground, news agency AP reported.
Suspects had visited Philippines last month, say cops
The victims ranged in age from 10 to 87 years and were attending a Hanukkah event at Australia’s most famous beach when gunshots rang out.
Albanese, along with state leaders, has pledged to tighten Australia’s already strict gun laws, which would mark the most sweeping reforms since a shooter killed 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania, in 1996. Mass shootings in Australia have been rare since then.
Officials released more details as public questions and anger grew on the third day after the attack, focusing on how the suspects planned and executed the attack, and whether Australian Jews had been adequately protected amid rising antisemitism.
Albanese announced plans to further restrict access to firearms, noting that the older suspect had legally amassed a cache of six weapons.
“The suspected murderers, callous in how they allegedly coordinated their attack, appeared to have no regard for the age or ableness of their victims,” Barrett said, adding, “It appears the alleged killers were interested only in a quest for a death tally.”
The suspects travelled to the Philippines last month, said Mal Lanyon, Police Commissioner for New South Wales. Their reasons for the trip and the locations visited in the Philippines will be investigated.
Lanyon also confirmed that a vehicle removed from the scene, registered to the younger suspect, contained improvised explosive devices.
“I also confirm that it contained two homemade ISIS flags,” Lanyon added.
(With PTI and AP inputs)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
