The mass shooting in Bondi Beach appears to have been motivated by the “ideology of Islamic State”, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday.
Speaking to ABC Sydney, Mr Albanese suggested “ideology of hate” may have inspired two gunmen to kill 15 people during the Jewish religious festival of Hanukkah on Sunday.
“It appears that this was motivated by the ideology of the Islamic State,” he said in a reference to the terrorist group. “The ideology that has existed for more than a decade that has led to this ideology of hatred and, in this case, the readiness to engage in mass murder.”
He added that all information received by police so far indicates that the two gunmen acted alone.
The world-famous beach attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year (PA)
His comments came after it was revealed one of the gunmen involved in the shooting had previously been investigated for links to an Islamic State terror cell in Sydney.
Naveed Akram, 24, was the subject of a six-month investigation by the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) in 2019, but was ruled out as a risk after “an assessment was made that there was no indication of any threat or imminent threat of involvement in violence”.
Mr Albanese said Akram was being investigated “on the basis that he was associated with others” involved in suspected terrorist activities, two of whom were later jailed.
The 24-year-old, along with his family and acquaintances, had been interviewed by ASIO but was “not seen as a person of interest at the time”, the Australian Leader said.
“Now, if he was further radicalized after that, what the circumstances are, that’s the subject of further investigation.”
The recently unemployed bricklayer and his shop owner father Sajid Akram, 50, opened fire during the Jewish religious festival of Hanukkah on Sunday, killing at least 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl.
The pair are said to have pledged allegiance to Isis during the killings and flags associated with the group are said to have been found in their car.
However, Mr Albanese said there was no evidence the Akrams were associated with a wider terror group and said those paid acted alone. But they had clearly been motivated by an extremist ideology, the prime minister continued.
“There is no evidence of collusion, no evidence that these people were part of a cell,” the Australian leader told national broadcaster ABC.
Members of the Jewish community mourn the victims who were killed in the Bondi terror attacks (AFP/Getty)
The tragedy has prompted Australia to take another look at its gun laws. A meeting of the country’s national cabinet concluded that “strong, decisive and focused action is needed for gun law reform as an immediate action” after Sajid was confirmed as a licensed gun owner, possessing six registered firearms and holding a Category A/B Recreational Licence.
The cabinet engaged in several actions, including the use of criminal intelligence in licensing, restrictions on the ownership of firearms and certain types of weapons, and requiring Australian citizenship for licences.
Several victims have been named in the shooting, including Matilda, a “bright” and “cheerful” 10-year-old girl, Eli Schlanger, a 41-year-old British rabbi, and Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman.
At least 27 people continue to receive treatment in hospital, six of whom remain in critical condition. The injured included two police officers, one of whom has been named as Constable Scott Dyson, who is said to have suffered serious injuries but remains in a stable condition.
Ahmed al Ahmed hailed a ‘hero’ for fighting off gunman during mass shooting (Chris Minns)
More than $1.7m (£844,000) has been raised for a ‘hero’ fruit shop owner who was seen tackling one of the men to the ground before wrestling his rifle away from him.
Father-of-two Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, told his cousin he “went down to save people’s lives” after lying in wait before attacking the man.
He told Jozay Alkanj to send a message to his family in case he was killed after he was shot. “I’m going to die – please see my family [and tell them] that I came down to save people’s lives,” he allegedly said.
Mr Ahmed suffered bullet wounds to his arm and hand and is said to be “in good spirits”.
Matilda, 10, was described as a ‘bright’ and ‘cheerful’ child (GoFundMe)
His father Mohamed Fateh al-Ahmed said: “My son is a hero, he served in the police and central security forces and has the drive to protect people.
“When he saw people lying on the ground and blood everywhere, immediately his conscience and soul compelled him to pounce on one of the terrorists and get rid of his weapon.
“I feel proud and honoured, because my son is a hero of Australia.”
Sajid was shot dead at the crime scene while Naveed sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital under police guard. He is expected to survive and could face criminal charges.
Sir Keir Starmer reassured Britain’s Jewish community, calling the incident “a horrific anti-Semitic attack”.
“This is clearly not an isolated incident,” he told a parliamentary liaison committee on Monday. “I want to reassure our Jewish communities here in the UK that we will take every step we can, [and] use all our powers to ensure they are safe and secure as they should be in the UK.”