Bondi Beach Attack: Indian Police Detail Background of Alleged Gunman Sajid Akram
Indian police have disclosed new details about Sajid Akram, the man shot dead by police during Sunday’s deadly attack on Australia’s Bondi Beach, saying his family was unaware of what they described as his “radical mindset.”
Fifteen people were killed in the shooting at a Hanukkah event, Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades. Authorities are investigating the incident as an act of terrorism targeting the Jewish community.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, police in the southern Indian state of Telangana said Akram, 50, was originally from Hyderabad and held a degree in commerce from the city, a major technology and pharmaceutical hub. He moved to Australia in November 1998 in search of work and later married a woman of European origin. The couple had a son and a daughter.
According to police, Akram returned to India six times for family-related matters, including property issues and visits to his parents, but did not come back when his father died. The statement said there was no adverse record against him in India before he left in 1998.
“The family members have expressed no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his radicalisation,” the police said, adding that the factors behind the radicalisation of Akram and his son Naveed appeared to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana.
Australian authorities have identified Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed as the alleged attackers. Naveed, who Australian media say acted as an accomplice, is in critical condition in hospital after being shot by police.
On Tuesday, Akram’s family home—known locally as “Zehra Cottage” in Hyderabad’s Tolichowki area—remained shut, with no family members visible. Neighbours in the middle-class Muslim neighbourhood were reluctant to speak to reporters. One neighbour, speaking anonymously, said Akram’s brother, a doctor, lived there with their elderly mother and described the area as peaceful, with no history of criminal activity.
Australian police also revealed that Akram and his son had travelled to the Philippines last month. Officials said Akram travelled on an Indian passport, while his son used an Australian passport. The purpose of the trip remains under investigation, and authorities have said it is not yet clear whether the two were linked to any terrorist group or received any form of training during the visit.
