Sydney Bondi Beach attackers driven by Islamic State ideology: Australian PM

Days after a mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach left 15 people dead, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that the attack appeared to have been motivated by Islamic State ideology, marking the strongest official assessment yet of the gunmen’s ideological leanings.

“It would appear that this was motivated by Islamic State ideology,” Albanese said during a radio interview with ABC, excerpts of which were released by his office. He described the attack as “meticulous, calculated, cold-blooded” and said investigators believed the two attackers had acted alone.

"With the rise of ISIS more than a decade ago now, the world has been grappling with extremism and this hateful ideology," he said in a separate interview.

Australia’s federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett echoed the assessment, describing the Bondi Beach shooting as “a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State”. She said evidence gathered so far pointed to extremist ideology as the driving force behind the violence.

The attackers were identified as a father and son, Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24. Sajid Akram was shot dead by police at the scene, while Naveed Akram was apprehended and hospitalised. New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed that the two men were the only shooters involved.

Albanese said the investigation had uncovered links between Naveed Akram and individuals previously convicted on terrorism charges. While Akram had come to the attention of authorities earlier due to his associations, he was not considered a person of interest at the time.

"They interviewed him, they interviewed his family members, they interviewed people around him," Albanese said. "He was not seen at that time to be a person of interest."

Senior law enforcement officials said investigators were examining possible Islamic State links after two IS flags were found inside the gunmen’s vehicle. Police also confirmed the discovery of improvised explosive devices in the car.

As per New South Wales police, the victims ranged in age from 10 to 87 years and were attending a Hanukkah celebration at Australia’s most famous beach when the shooting began. A 10-year-old girl was among those killed. At least 25 people remain in hospital, with 10 in critical condition, including several children.

The confirmation of the attackers’ ideological motivation came amid growing public scrutiny over how the men were able to plan and carry out the attack, and whether Jewish sites had sufficient protection amid rising antisemitism.

Albanese and several state leaders said the government would move to further tighten Australia’s already strict gun laws, in what could become the most significant overhaul since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996. Authorities disclosed that the older suspect had legally acquired multiple firearms.

The attack has also revived allegations that Australia is dragging its feet in the fight against antisemitism.

"The last four years, I was very clear. And I was very clear about the dangers of the rise in antisemitism," Israel's ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, said while visiting a memorial to the victims on Tuesday.

Australian Jewish Association head Robert Gregory told AFP the government had "failed to take adequate actions to protect the Jewish community".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Australia's decision to recognise Palestinian statehood this year had poured "oil on the fire of antisemitism".

Desperate to help, Australians have lined up in their thousands to donate blood to the wounded.

Red Cross Australia said more than 7,000 people had given blood on Monday, smashing the previous national record.

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