Police in India have confirmed that one of the shooters behind the devastating terror attack in Sydney was originally from Hyderabad and had visited the city as recently as 2022, though officials insist his radicalisation did not occur on Indian soil.
Telangana Police confirmed Tuesday (16 December) that Sajid Akram, the 50-year-old gunman shot dead by Australian police during the Bondi Beach massacre, was a Hyderabad native who held an Indian passport. He carried out the attack with his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, who’s still in the hospital under police guard.
According to Director General of Police B. Shivadhar Reddy, Sajid Akram moved to Australia in November 1998 after finishing a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Hyderabad. While he settled permanently abroad and married a woman of European origin, he kept ties with his home city, visiting India six times over the past 27 years. His most recent trip was in 2022 to deal with property matters.
Indian intelligence agencies have thoroughly checked his background and said he had “no adverse record” during his time in Hyderabad. “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 police statement said.
A lot of attention has now shifted to the pair’s international movements. Australian and Philippine authorities confirmed that both father and son traveled to the Philippines just weeks before the attack, staying there from November 1 to November 28. Investigators are looking into whether they received “military-style training” or met with extremist groups during that time.
“Sajid Akram carries an Indian passport as on date and his son Naveed Akram and daughter were born in Australia and are Australian citizens,” DGP Reddy stated.
Relatives in Hyderabad expressed shock and said they were distant from Sajid’s actions. “The family members have expressed no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his radicalisation,” police officials noted, adding that Sajid had so little contact with his family that he didn’t even attend his father’s funeral in 2009.
The attack on Sunday, which targeted a Hanukkah celebration and left 15 people dead, is being treated as a terrorism incident inspired by Islamic State ideology. Two homemade ISIS flags were reportedly found in a vehicle registered to Naveed Akram. The revelation of the shooters’ background adds a transnational element to the investigation, linking Sydney, Hyderabad, and potentially the Philippines.
While Sajid Akram was killed at the scene, his son Naveed has reportedly woken from a coma and is expected to face criminal charges soon. Australian investigators are now working closely with their Indian and Philippine counterparts to piece together the timeline of the pair’s radicalization and what they were doing during that November trip to Southeast Asia.
Also Read / PM Modi condemns ‘ghastly’ terror attack on Jewish gathering in Sydney.
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