Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has shared insights into a possible motive behind the mass shooting that took place during Hanukkah celebrations at Bondi Beach over the weekend.
The tragic event, described by authorities as a terrorist attack, resulted in the deaths of at least 15 individuals at Bondi Beach, Sydney, on Sunday.
The alleged perpetrators, identified as father and son, 50-year-old Sajid and 24-year-old Naveed Akram, reportedly opened fire on crowds gathered for the Jewish festival around 6:40 pm local time.
This incident marks the most deadly mass shooting in Australia since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.
Among the victims are 10-year-old Matilda, a former police officer, and a Holocaust survivor.
In the aftermath of the attack, Prime Minister Albanese discussed a potential motive that the authorities are considering at this moment.
A France 24 report quotes him saying: “It would appear that this was motivated by Islamic State ideology.”
In another interview, he commented: “With the rise of ISIS more than a decade ago now, the world has been grappling with extremism and this hateful ideology.”
The South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon reported that a car registered to Naveed Akram was discovered near the beach, containing improvised bombs and ‘two homemade ISIS flags’.
Albanese also disclosed that Naveed Akram was on the radar of Australia’s intelligence agency in 2019. At the time, however, he was not deemed an immediate threat.
Albanese remarked: “He was drawn to their attention because of his association with others … They interviewed him, they interviewed his family members, they interviewed people around him.
“Two of the people he was associated with were charged and went to jail, but he was not seen at that time to be a person of interest.”
According to CNN, the father and son duo had recently traveled to the Philippines, specifically to an island known for Islamist insurgency, though their activities there remain unknown.
While the attack has been labeled as terrorism, it has also reignited discussions on whether stricter gun control laws are needed in Australia.
Sajid died in the aftermath of the attack, while Naveed is reportedly in critical condition.
Sajid had a firearms license for recreational hunting and was a member of a gun club.
Albanese has indicated that the Australian government will consider strengthening gun laws, potentially including limits on the number of firearms a licensed owner can possess.