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One of the two men suspected of carrying out the mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach was originally from southern India, police sources have said, adding that he had only limited contact with his family in India.
Sajid Akram, 50, who was shot dead by police at the scene on Sunday, hailed from Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana, according to a senior state police official. He had migrated to Australia in 1998 and had travelled back to India only six times since then, mainly for family-related matters.
The official said Akram’s family in Hyderabad had expressed no awareness of any radical ideology or activities linked to him. “The factors that led to the radicalisation of Sajid Akram and his son appear to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana,” the official told BBC Telugu.
Police suspect Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son, Naveed, of killing 15 people and injuring several others during an attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday evening.
According to Telangana police, Akram visited India primarily to attend to property matters and to meet elderly relatives. He did not travel to India even at the time of his father’s death, the official said.
Authorities also confirmed that Akram had no criminal record in India. He had completed his education before moving to Australia in search of employment and later married a woman of European origin. While Akram held an Indian passport, his children were born in Australia and are Australian citizens.
Investigations into the attack and the circumstances surrounding the suspects’ radicalisation are ongoing.
