According to the Bol News Pakistan, the new details have emerged about the motive of Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in almost 30 years, with police confirming that Sydney Shooters accused of carrying out the Bondi Beach rampage had visited the Philippines days before the assault. Early evidence suggests an Islamic State-inspired terrorist act targeting a Jewish religious gathering, according to authorities.
The attack happened on Sunday at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, which is one of Australia’s most popular international tourist destinations. The Sydney Shooters 15 people at the scene, and prompted national shock and grief.
Police subsequently said the death toll had risen to 16, including one of the suspected attackers killed by officers.
Suspects identified as father and son
The dead suspect has been named as Sajid Akram, 50, shot by police during the attack. His 24-year-old son, identified by local media as Naveed Akram, is suspected of being his accomplice and is in a critical condition in hospital after also being shot.
Police said the two Sydney Shooters opened fire on hundreds of people during a 10-minute killing rampage, prompting festival-goers to run in terror or seek cover before officers stepped in.
Philippines travel under investigation.
On Tuesday, Australian police said the two Sydney Shooters had visited the Philippines last month and that they would be investigating the reason for their trip. Philippine police said they, too, are investigating the visit.
The Sydney Shooters entered the country on November 1 and left on the 28th, according to the Philippine immigration bureau. Sajid Akram was travelling on an Indian passport, and his son, Naveed, held an Australian passport.
The pair told immigration officials that Davao City was their final destination and that they had a return flight ticket to Sydney. Davao is in the south of Mindanao, where militant groups have long been known to operate among impoverished communities.
Philippine officials said they could not immediately verify reports that the two Sydney Shooters had been trained at a military-style camp here during their visit.
Islamic State influence
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said early evidence suggested the Sydney Shooters was motivated by Islamic State-inspired ideology.
“These are the actions of people who have associated themselves with a terrorist organisation; we must understand that.” But he also stressed that the focus of the investigation was extremist ideology, not religion.
A vehicle belonging to the younger of the two Sydney Shooters was found to be carrying improvised explosive devices and two homemade flags linked to ISIS, also known as Islamic State, police said. The group is considered a terrorist organisation by Australia and many other countries.
Islamic State-connected networks have a presence in areas of the Philippines, but are down to weakened cells since fighters stormed Marawi city in 2017 and held it for five months while battling government forces.
Survivors, injured, receiving treatment.
Officials estimate about 25 survivors are being treated at several Sydney hospitals. Two police officers who were shot in the attack are still in critical but stable condition, New South Wales police said.
The victims varied in age and background: One was a father of five; another, 10-year-old Matilda Britvan. “It’s tough for everybody,” Matilda’s aunt, Lina Chernykh, said in public comments about the family’s grief.
“I’m just in disbelief that he was, you know, actually murdered — I’m still hoping it’s not real,” she told Australian media.
On Tuesday, Bondi Beach reopened but was nearly deserted beneath Gray skies. A floral memorial is also developing outside the Bondi Pavilion, just metres from where the shooting unfolded.
Tourist hotspot: Bondi Beach, 8.2km from Sydney’s city centre is visited by hundreds of thousands of overseas visitors each year Read more at the Daily Mail(superfogeys check a look on) Bondi local homeowner Camille Thomin tweeted that she was shocked by how many backpackers snorted another substance out in the open and left their discarded wipes and ‘dirt’ on her doorstep.
Israeli ambassador urges stronger protection.
Israeli Ambassador Amir Maimon visited the memorial and called on the Australian government to do more to protect Jewish communities.
“Only Australians of Jewish faith are required to worship in an enclosed space; we have people armed at the front,” he added, alluding to C.T.V. monitors and security guards, and said his heart had been “torn apart” by the attacks.
The attack follows a series of antisemitic incidents in Australia over the past 16 months. The head of the nation’s primary intelligence agency has said that his number one threat to life is antisemitism.
Muslim hero hailed worldwide.
And yet from the carnage, Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Muslim father of two, has emerged as something akin to a national hero — celebrated as a modern-day counterpart for charging at one of the gunmen and grabbing his rifle. His condition is critical, and he remains in the hospital with gunshot wounds.
Ahmed has been praised as a hero worldwide and received attention from US President Donald Trump, while a GoFundMe page in his name has collected more than A$1.9 million.
Australia’s gun laws are now under scrutiny after police revealed Sajid Akram was a licensed gun owner, with six registered weapons. He obtained his gun licence in 2023, not 2021 as previously reported, police said.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said new firearms laws after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre should be revisited. John Howard, the former prime minister who introduced the 1996 firearms restrictions,warned that gun law reform should not distract from confronting antisemitism. He attacked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for letting down the Jewish community.
“He could have done more about antisemitism,” Howard said.
