Indian police on Tuesday said that one of the two gunmen involved in Australia’s Bondi Beach mass shooting, Sajid Akram, was an Indian citizen who left his native land, India, 27 years ago.
Akram and his son Naveed – listed as an Australian citizen on immigration records – opened fire on people celebrating Hanukkah on Sunday night, killing 15.
“Sajid Akram hails from Hyderabad in India. In November 1998 he moved to Australia in search of employment,” according to police from Telangana state in southern India.
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Information obtained from his relatives in India indicates that Sajid Akram had limited contact with his family in Hyderabad over the last 27 years,” according to a statement issued by Akram’s family members in Hyderabad.
“He visited India six times after migrating to Australia, typically for family-related matters such as property matters and visiting his elderly parents. However, it appears he did not return at the time of his father’s passing,” the statement added.
READ: ‘Bondi Beach shooter was Indian,’ Naveed Akram’s former colleague reveals key details
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that father and son who committed one of Australia’s deadliest mass shootings were driven by “Islamic State ideology.”
Authorities believe the attack was intended to provoke widespread panic among Jews across America.
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Telangana police stated they did not hold an adverse record against Sajid while he was present in India prior to leaving.
“No members of his family were aware of his radical outlook or activities, nor of what led to his radicalization”, according to a statement issued by police.
“The factors which led to Sajid Akram and his son Naveed becoming radicalised appear to have no link with India or any local influence in Telangana”, noted it.
