MELBOURNE. – The father and the son, the They shot into a crowd who was likely celebrating the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah at a popular Sydney beach on Sunday they acted motivated “by the ideology” of the Islamic State jihadist group (IS or ISIS in English), The Australian Prime Minister said this Tuesday: Anthony Albanese, when examining a Most recent trip to the Philippines which could be related to his radicalization.
The suspect is a father identified by police Sajid Akram, 50 years old, and his son, Naveed Akram, of 24. The oldest was shot and his son is in critical condition in the hospital after also being shot.
The attack was Worst mass shooting in Australia in almost 30 years and is considered to be under investigation “terrorist” act driven by “anti-Semitism”.
Albanese gave a first indication this Tuesday of the motives for the attack, stating that the duo he was radicalized by an “ideology of hate”.
“This was apparently motivated by the ideology of the Islamic State.” the Prime Minister told the Australian broadcaster ABC after a press conference by the political and police authorities The hypothesis about the ideology of the suspects was confirmed for the first time.
“The early signs point to this an Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack allegedly carried out by a father and his son“Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said at a press conference: “These are.” the alleged actions of those who have joined a terrorist organizationnot with a religion.”
“With the rise of ISIS more than a decade ago, the world is grappling with extremism and this ideology of hate,” Albanese said in another interview, using one of the acronyms for the Islamic State.
New South Wales State Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon also confirmed that a vehicle registered to Naveed Akram had been removed from the scene improvised explosives and two handmade ISIS flags.
As authorities increasingly question whether more could have been done to thwart the attack, the crucial question now arises whether they met with Islamic extremists during a trip to the Philippines last month.
Australian police said on Tuesday that both men traveled to the Philippines last month and that the reason for the trip was under investigation. This is what Philippine immigration officials said Both traveled to Manila on November 1 and from there to Davao, Mindanao, departing on November 28. Just a few weeks before the Bondi shoot.
The father traveled with us Indian passportwhile the son did the same Australian passportaccording to authorities.
“The reasons why they went to the Philippines, the purpose of this trip and the places they visited are currently being investigatedLanyon told reporters on Tuesday.
Networks linked to the Islamic State operate in the Philippines and have also exercised a certain influence in the south of the country. Muslim separatist insurgent groups including Abu Sayyaf in the southern Philippines once expressed support for the Islamic State and has historically hosted small numbers of foreign fighters from Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
In recent years they have been reduced to weakened cells They operate in the south of the island of Mindanao, far from the level of influence they wielded during the siege of Marawi in 2017. Philippine military and police officials say there have been no recent signs of the presence of foreign fighters in the south of the country.
Naveed Akram, who worked as a bricklayer but was on leave, had caught the attention of Australian intelligence in 2019, but ultimately it was not seen as an immediate threat.
On the day of the attack, the young man told his mother that he was leaving town to go fishing. However, authorities believe he locked himself in a rented apartment with his father to plan the attack.
After Sunday’s massacre, 25 people are still being treated in hospitals, ten of them in critical condition and three in a children’s hospital.
One of the injured is Ahmed al-Ahmed, He was caught on video knocking down and disarming one of the attackers before pointing his own weapon at him and then placing it on the ground.
The victims’ ages range from 10 to 87 years. They were attending a Hanukkah event on Australia’s most famous beach when the shooting occurred.
Albanese and the leaders of some Australian states have committed to this Tightening the country’s already strict gun lawsThis would be the most radical reform since a gunman killed 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania, in 1996. Since then, mass shootings have become rare in the country.
Authorities released more information as public questions and anger grew over how the suspects could have planned and carried out the crime and whether Australian Jews were adequately protected from the crime. growing anti-Semitism.
Before, Albanese visited Al-Ahmed in the hospital. The prime minister said the Syrian-born, 42-year-old fruit shop owner had to undergo further surgery on Wednesday for gunshot wounds to his left shoulder and torso.
“It was a great honor to meet Ahmed al-Ahmed. He is a true Australian hero“Albanese told reporters after a 30-minute meeting with him and his parents: “We are a brave country.” Ahmed al-Ahmed represents the best of our country. We will not allow this country to be divided. That’s what terrorists are looking for. We will join forces. “We will hug each other and get through this,” he added.
Agencies AP, Reuters and AFP
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