Among the items in Naveed Akram’s vehicle, Australian agents found two handmade flags with Islamic State symbols. This detail, reported by ABC News, led investigators to hypothesize that extremist ideology played a relevant role in organizing and carrying out the attack during the Hanukkah holiday on Sydney Beach. The attack caused the deaths of fifteen people and twenty-six injuries, prompting authorities to focus their efforts on investigating possible international connections and external support that could have facilitated the violent action.
According to ABC News, Australian police have prioritized reconstructing the international displacements of Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram, who traveled to the Philippines a month before the events. Authorities are examining in detail the itineraries, stays and personal contacts they maintained during their stay in Southeast Asia, with the aim of determining whether there were any logistical elements, intermediaries or support networks outside the country. This verification includes documented movements as well as digital records and electronic communications of the suspects, which opens the possibility of proving the involvement of external bodies in the planning and execution of the attack.
According to ABC News, the investigative process includes raids on properties associated with the Akram family, looking for documents, devices and objects that may provide clues to the exact manner in which the attack was organized. Security experts interviewed by this media stressed that the presence of propaganda such as that associated with the Islamic State influences the appearance of self-radicalized actors, whose actions often have no police precedent and are difficult to predict.
Access to the weapons used is another focus of the investigation. Australian police, ABC News reported, are tracking the acquisition history and route taken by the weapons carried by the attackers. Sajid Akram submitted an application for a license in 2015, a process that was thwarted because the required paperwork was not fully completed at the time. Later, in 2023, he managed the approval again and received approval for the AB categories. The aim of weapons monitoring is to identify possible situations of illegal trafficking and chains of accomplices.
Police Commander Mal Lanyon, quoted by ABC News, claimed that analysis of the Akrams’ international movements includes reviewing their electronic devices and communications records, as well as identifying potential collaborators abroad. The information collected is crossed with travel data and personal contacts, making it possible to analyze the actual level of support provided in the moments before the attack.
As ABC News explained, both New South Wales Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) had previously monitored Naveed Akram. In 2019, ASIO conducted a six-month monitoring of her behavior. This operation was completed without finding any warning signs of violent tendencies or evidence suggesting involvement in dangerous activities. The lack of a criminal record highlights how difficult it is to predict the actions of people who may become radicalized for ideological reasons, even without a known criminal record. As described by ABC News, preventative measures and surveillance of potentially self-radicalized individuals increased following the attack.
Other lines of investigation published by the same media include checking financial transfers and communications through social networks to uncover the possible involvement of other family members or close friends in logistical support, the provision of resources, weapons or information support. The purpose of this analysis is to determine whether accomplices were involved within or outside Australia.
The institutional response included tightening surveillance and prevention systems. New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park told ABC News that 12 of the 26 injured remain in critical condition and that hospitals will continue to monitor and provide specialist care to those affected. Meanwhile, police and counterterrorism units increased surveillance of individuals identified as being at possible risk of radicalization, with the aim of preventing future actions motivated by extremist doctrines.
ABC News presented various assessments from intelligence and security experts who believe it is essential to strengthen preventative intelligence tools, increase international cooperation and continue to monitor ideological trends that pose high risk. Australian authorities complemented this approach by updating their strategies to detect and neutralize illegal arms movements and increasing surveillance of communities vulnerable to the impact of radical propaganda.
The government perspective was made clear by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who said in statements reported by ABC News that Islamic State propaganda has been stimulating violent behavior for more than a decade and that the fight against this phenomenon requires ongoing education and prevention measures. The investigation remains open. According to media reports, the security forces and the government committed to gradually communicating the results of the investigation and making all relevant progress regarding the cause transparent.
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