After it was found that one of the shooters in the Bondi Beach attack was a Hyderabad native, Telangana DGP Shivadhar Reddy issued a press statement on December 16, saying that the perpetrator Sajid Akram – who was shot down immediately after the attack – had no adverse record during his stay in India prior. He left India in 1998.
Fifty-year-old Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram (24), have been identified as those behind the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia on Sunday, December 14. At least fifteen people were killed and 24 were injured in the incident.
Sajid Akram completed his B.Com degree in Hyderabad and migrated to Australia in search of employment in November 1998, police said.
He has visited India only on six occasions after migrating to Australia, primarily for family-related reasons such as property matters and visits to his elderly parents. He didn’t even attend his father’s funeral, police said.
Police said that the family members in Hyderabad have expressed no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his radicalisation.
“The factors that led to the radicalisation of Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed appear to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana,” the statement read.
During the Hanukkah celebrations (a Jewish festival) at the beach, Sajid and his son Naveed opened fire at the crowd. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the attack as an act of “antisemitism” and “terrorism.”
While Sajid Akram was gunned down by the police during the fire exchange, his son has been injured; he is reported to have recovered from a coma.
After settling in Australia, Sajid married a European woman Venera Grosso, and they have two children including a daughter. Naveed Akram and the daughter are Australian citizens. Sajid however carries an Indian passport.
TNM traced down Sajid Akram’s family in Hyderabad. His brother told TNM they were not in touch with him for many years. Sajid did not even enquire about the health of their octogenarian mother, he said. The family is said to have had a fallout over property disputes.
