Australia Probe Possible ISIS Links in Bondi Beach Shooting

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The perpetrators of the shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia are believed to have had links to an ISIS terrorist cell. According to a report by ABC, the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) had previously investigated one of the perpetrators of the Bondi Beach shooting six years ago due to his close ties to the ISIS terrorist cell based in Sydney.

Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, Sajid Akram, 50, killed 15 people on Sunday evening when they opened fire at the Chanukah by the Sea event, celebrating the first day of the Jewish festival. Naveed Akram is under police guard in the hospital after his father was shot dead in a shootout with the police on Sunday.

On Sunday evening, fully armed police raided their home in Bonnyrigg, southwest Sydney, as well as an Airbnb property in Campsie where they had been staying. According to investigators from the Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT), a unit comprised of state and federal agencies, the shooters had declared allegiance to the ISIS terrorist group.

According to a senior official speaking on the condition of anonymity, two ISIS flags were found in their car at Bondi Beach. In footage from the scene, one flag can be seen attached to the car's hood.

A senior JCTT official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, stated that ASIO became interested in Naveed Akram six years ago after the police thwarted an ISIS terrorist attack plan. The surviving perpetrator was investigated in 2019 due to his close connections with terrorist cells.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that ASIO first flagged Naveed Akram in October 2019, and he had been under investigation for six months. However, he was released as he was deemed not to pose a threat.

The official said that Naveed Akram had close ties to Matari, who is serving a seven-year prison sentence for planning an ISIS insurgency. Matari is a commander of a terrorist group claiming Australian citizenship.

Matari is part of the ISIS cell along with several other men from Sydney, who have been convicted of terrorism offenses, and is known to be close to Naveed Akram.

Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) Director-General Mike Burgess said on Sunday that one of the shooting perpetrators was known to the agency, but did not disclose the individual's identity.

"One of these individuals was known to us, but not in an immediate-threat perspective, so we need to look into what happened here," Burgess said.

According to a report by CBS News cited by NDTV, both perpetrators are likely to be from Pakistan. A photo of Sajid Akram's New South Wales driver's license also went viral on social media, showing him wearing a green shirt resembling the Pakistan cricket team jersey.

Naveed Akram, 24, the son of Sajid Akram, is an Australian citizen born in Australia. His father arrived in 1998 on a student visa, which was later converted to a partner visa in 2001. He then obtained permanent residency, said Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.

Read: Australia: Police Detain 2 After Gunshots at Bondi Beach

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