Bondi Beach Attack: Slain Suspect Traced to Hyderabad Roots After 27 Years in Australia
Hyderabad: The man killed by Australian police following a deadly shooting rampage at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that claimed 15 lives on Sunday has been identified as 50-year-old Sajid Akram, an Indian passport holder originally from Hyderabad who emigrated to Australia in November 1998.
Authorities in Telangana confirmed Akram’s background after receiving information from Australian officials, prompting police and intelligence agencies to contact his relatives in Al Hasnath Colony, Toli Chowki. Akram’s father was a retired member of the Indian armed forces, and his elder brother works as a doctor.
Telangana Director General of Police Shivadhar Reddy stated that Akram returned to India on six occasions since his migration, mainly to handle property affairs. Notably, he did not visit when his father passed away in 2009, and family contacts had been minimal.
Relatives told police they were unaware of any radicalisation involving Akram or his 24-year-old son Naveed, the second suspect in the attack. Reddy noted that available reports suggest the pair was influenced by ISIS ideology, with Australian authorities leading the ongoing probe. He emphasised that the radicalisation factors seem unrelated to India or any domestic influences, and Telangana Police have no prior adverse records on Akram from his time in the country.
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Akram, a commerce graduate from Hyderabad’s Anwar-Ul-Uloom College, married Venera Grosso, an Australian woman of Italian origin, with whom he had a son and a daughter. Around 2001, he brought his wife to Hyderabad for a traditional nikah ceremony with his family. On later visits, he disposed of inherited property in the Shalibanda area.
Intelligence sources indicate that Akram and his son were likely radicalised in Sydney. Naveed attended an Arabic and religious studies program at a Sydney institution from 2019 to 2022.
Australian media reports highlighted a November trip by the father and son to the Philippines, where they are suspected of undergoing military-style training. Reuters cited the Philippines Bureau of Immigration confirming their travel from Sydney to Manila and Davao City on November 1, returning on November 28. Sajid used an Indian passport, while Naveed travelled on an Australian one.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon verified the Philippines visit, stating that its purpose remains under investigation. He also confirmed that a vehicle registered to the younger suspect contained improvised explosive devices and two homemade ISIS flags.