Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, ASIO, had examined one of the Bondi Beach terrorists six years ago over his ties to a Sydney-based Islamic State (ISIS) cell, Australian network ABC reported.
On Sunday, Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, Sajid Akram, 50, murdered 15 people when they opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration marking the first night of the Jewish festival. Naveed remains in hospital under police guard after his father was shot dead in an exchange of gunfire with police.
Heavily armed officers raided the family’s home in Bonnyrigg, south-west Sydney, and an AirBnB in Campsie where the men had been staying. Investigators from the Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) - a unit combining ASIO, NSW Police, the Australian Federal Police and the NSW Crime Commission - believe the attackers pledged allegiance to ISIS, according to ABC.
Two ISIS flags were found in their car at Bondi Beach, one visible on the bonnet in footage from the scene. A senior JCTT official confirmed ASIO began monitoring Naveed Akram after the July 2019 arrest of ISIS terrorist Isaac El Matari, who is serving seven years for plotting an ISIS insurgency as the self-declared Australian commander.
Naveed was closely connected to Matari and other members of the Sydney ISIS cell, all later convicted of terrorism offenses, according to the ABC report.
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess acknowledged: “One of these individuals was known to us, but not in an immediate-threat perspective, so we need to look into what happened here.”
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon revealed Sajid Akram had held a firearms license for a decade. “He has six firearms licensed to him. We are satisfied that we have six firearms from the scene yesterday,” he said, adding that the license had been properly regulated.
Police confirmed only two attackers were involved and launched Operation Shelter, deploying 328 officers to protect places of worship.