Credit, MICK TSIKAS/EPA/Shutterstock
The young man identified as one of the perpetrators of the shooting which left at least 15 dead on Bondi Beach, in Sydney, has come out of a coma and is already conscious in hospital, according to information published this Tuesday (12/17) by the Australian press. According to media such as the Sydney Morning Herald and the 9News channel, Naveed Akram, 24, even spoke to investigators while he was in police custody.
Australian police say the two men acted together during this attack, considered one of the deadliest in the country’s recent history.
The BBC has asked authorities to officially confirm the information about the young man’s condition, but has not yet received a response.
The attack happened in a busy area of Bondi Beach and caused panic among locals and tourists.
Dozens of others were injured and, according to the latest report, 24 people are still hospitalized and receiving medical treatment. The victims include a British-born rabbi, a retired police officer and a Holocaust survivor.
Foreign travel under investigation
As new details emerge, the investigation takes on an international dimension. Australian police confirmed they were investigating a trip Sajid and Naveed took to the Philippines about a month before the attack.
Immigration officials in Manila told the BBC that Sajid entered the country on an Indian passport, while his son traveled on an Australian passport.
According to local press, the two men had gone to the country to undergo so-called “military-style training”, information which is currently being analyzed by investigators.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said all indications were that the attack was motivated by ideology linked to Islamic State.
Police said they found “homemade” flags associated with the extremist group and improvised explosive devices inside a vehicle used by the shooters.
These elements reinforce the hypothesis that this was a terrorist attack and raise the question of whether the radicalization of the perpetrators could not have been detected before – and whether the attack could not have been prevented.
Credit, BIANCA DE MARCHI/EPA/Shutterstock
Sajid Akram owned a firearm and, according to police, he legally owned six firearms registered in his name. Naveed, who worked as a mason, had been fired two months before the attack, after the company where he worked went bankrupt, according to information released by authorities.
Investigators are now trying to understand whether financial difficulties, personal frustrations or other factors contributed to the young man’s radicalization process.
The attack reignited the debate on security and arms control in the country. Albanian and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has pledged to further strengthen gun laws, even though Australia is already known for its strict rules since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
Authorities are also assessing whether mechanisms for monitoring international travel and possible links to extremist groups were sufficient.
In the midst of this tragedy, one act of courage garnered national attention. A man, identified as Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, was filmed fighting with one of the shooters and managing to take his gun. He was publicly praised by the Prime Minister, who called him a “true Australian hero” after visiting him in hospital.
The episode became a symbol of civilians’ response to the violence and was widely shared on social media.
With Naveed Akram now conscious, authorities hope to move forward in reconstructing the steps that led to the attack, clarify the role of the trip to the Philippines and identify whether there was outside support or direct inspiration from extremist networks.
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