Mother of Bondi Beach gunman says her son is 'a good boy'
A 50 year old man and his son Naveed Akram, 24, have been identified by Australian media as the alleged gunmen behind the terror attack
The mother of one of the alleged Bondi Beach gunmen has insisted her son is a "good boy".
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A 50 year old man and his son Naveed Akram, 24, have been identified by Australian media as the alleged gunmen behind the terror attack.
The father and son, who were armed with guns, opened fire on a crowd in the Archer Park area at 6.47pm local time on Sunday, New South Wales Police said.
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, the force confirmed.
The older man was killed by police officers, whilst Naveed was shot and taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.
Read more: Fruit shop owner who tackled Bondi Beach gunman hailed a 'genuine hero'
Naveed's mother Verena spoke to reporters as police officers surrounded their home in Bonnyrigg.
She told the Sydney Morning Herald: “He doesn’t have a firearm. He doesn’t even go out. He doesn’t mix around with friends. He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t go to bad places … he goes to work, he comes home, he goes to exercise, and that’s it.
“Anyone would wish to have a son like my son … he’s a good boy.”
The range of ages of people who died in the Bondi Beach attack is from 10 years old to 87, according to New South Wales Police.
A total of 13 people died at the scene with a 10-year-old girl and 40-year-old man dying in hospital.
New South Wales Police commissioner Mal Lanyon said that the older man was licensed for six firearms and six were recovered from the scene in Bondi Beach.
The father and son allegedly told their family that they were on a fishing trip in Jervis Bay over the weekend, the last time Verena spoke with Naveed was on Sunday.
She said: “He rings me up [on Sunday] and said, Mum, I just went for a swim. I went scuba diving. We’re going … to eat now, and then this morning, and we’re going to stay home now because it’s very hot.”
Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia, has called the attack "an act of pure evil" and said Sunday had been a “dark day in our nation’s history”
He told a press conferece: "What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil. An act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores, in an iconic location - Bondi Beach - that is associated with joy, associated with celebrations that is forever tarnished by what happened last evening.
"This was an attack deliberately targeted at the Jewish community, on the first day of Hannukah. The Jewish community is hurting today.
"Today all Australians wrap our arms around them and say we stand with you. We will do whatever is necessary to stamp out antisemitism. It is a scourge and we will eradicate it together."