Bondi Beach attackers 'inspired by Islamic State' - as police confirm Philippines trip under investigation

Fifteen innocent people were killed when father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram, armed with what police described as “long guns”, opened fire on more than 1,000 people attending a Jewish festival in the Archer Park area of the popular beach at 6.47pm local time on Sunday.

Australia’s federal police commissioner said on Tuesday that the killers may have been “inspired by” the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

“Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State,” federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett said on Tuesday.

She added: “These are the alleged actions of those who have aligned themselves with a terrorist organisation.”

Anthony Albanese, Australia’s prime minister, has also said the attack was "motivated by Islamic State ideology".

It comes as New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters on Tuesday the vehicle belonging to one of the attackers - Naveed Akram - contained "IEDs" (improvised explosive device) and "two homemade IS flags".

Meanwhile, the Philippines is investigating a trip the Bondi Beach gunmen made to the country last month.

Mr Lanyon confirmed reports Sajid and Naveed Akram travelled to the country last month and said Australian police are also investigating why they made the trip.

A senior counter-terrorism official has alleged Naveed and Sajid Akram went for military-style training.

The region has been known to host terrorist training camps for Islamist militants since the early 1990s.

Naveed is under police guard in hospital after being shot by police, and his father Sajid, 50, was shot and killed at the scene on Sunday.

Their home in Bonnyrigg, 50km west of Bondi, was raided by police hours after the shooting.

Mal Lanyon also corrected the record on reports around the legality of the firearms allegedly used in the shooting.

The commissioner said that despite reports that Sajid had a gun license issued in 2015, a firearm recovered was instead acquired under a license which was issued in 2023.

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Both men were also members of local gun clubs.

In an earlier briefing, Lanyon said: “He has six firearms licensed to him. We are satisfied that we have six firearms from the scene yesterday, but also as a result of the search warrant at the Campsie address.

“Ballistics and forensic investigation will determine those six firearms are the six that were licensed to that man, but also they were used in the offence yesterday at Bondi.

“We will continue to investigate this matter thoroughly.”

In the briefing, officers also confirmed reports that the Akrams travelled to the Philippines in recent months - but would not comment on rumours this was to receive terrorist training.

According to reports, footage shows a brave officer edging towards Sajid during the massacre before appearing to fire the fatal shot from an astonishing 40 metres away.

The officer who reportedly made the shot is understood to be a detective with 15 years of experience in law enforcement, according to The Daily Telegraph.

In extraordinary footage, the officer can be seen approaching the rifle-touting assailants from behind a tree before letting off a series of shots.

One appeared to hit the elder shooter, who dropped to the ground before his son left cover to return fire.

The attack has been declared a terrorist incident targeting a Hanukkah celebration at a park next to the beach on the first day of the Jewish festival of lights, also known as Chanukah, the force confirmed.

As of late Monday afternoon, 27 people were receiving care in hospitals across Sydney, NSW Health said.

Six people remain in critical condition with the others in serious and stable conditions, while police believe the ages of the dead range from 10 to 87.

Two police officers who were injured remain in serious but stable condition.

Sajid Akram arrived in Australia on a student visa in 1998, which was transferred in 2001 to a partner visa and later resident return visas.

Australian media report that Naveed was examined over close ties to a Sydney based IS terrorism cell but was not deemed to pose any immediate threat.

Social media posts from an Islamic centre in Australia show Naveed completed religious studies in 2022, raising questions about possible radicalisation and extremist networks operating in the country.

Australia's domestic security intelligence agency, ASIO, said that one of the shooters was on their radar.

“One of these individuals was known to us, but not in an immediate threat perspective,” ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said.

“So obviously we need to look into what happened.”

Police believe the men had travelled to a short-term rental property about 30 minutes from Bondi beach. A single-storey grey building in Campsie has become one of the main focuses of the police investigation.

The shooting comes during escalating tensions between Australia and Iran, following a series of suspected Iranian-directed attacks on Jewish targets in the country.

Australian officials have not publicly confirmed any foreign involvement.

Israeli officials cited Iran as a primary suspect if a state actor were involved. They are also examining possible links to groups including Hezbollah, Hamas and Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, according to Israeli media reports.