Bondi Beach massacre dad unmasked at last

The first clear photo of Bondi Beach terrorist Sajid Akram has emerged as new details about his trips to India are revealed.

Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police after he opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach on Sunday night, killing 15 people and injuring 40 more.

His alleged co-conspirator, son Naveed, 24, was critically injured during the shootout but has since been charged with 59 offences – including 15 counts of murder – after waking from a coma on Wednesday.

Indian Police say Sajid was from Hyderabad, a tech and pharma city, in the country’s south, where he completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

He migrated to Australia on a student visa in 1998 before transitioning to a partner visa three years later following his marriage to Naveed’s mother, Venera.  

According to local authorities, Sajid returned to his homeland six times since moving overseas, for family-related reasons and property matters.

However, Indian Police say he did not travel to the country for his father’s death in 2017.

His last known visit was a two-week trip in 2022.  

Sajid’s relatives in India have told authorities they have had limited contact with him over the past 27 years and were unaware of his extreme beliefs.

Two Islamic State flags were allegedly found inside the car the father and son used to travel to Bondi. 

Police also allegedly found an ISIS-propaganda style video inside the Campsie apartment the pair had rented out in the lead up to the shooting.

‘The family members have expressed no knowledge of his [Sajid’s] radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his radicalisation,’ Indian Police said.

‘The factors that led to the radicalisation of Sajid Akram appear to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana.’

Sajid’s immediate family still live in Hyderabad, where his elder brother is a doctor, according to local media. 

Indian authorities are in contact with Australian officials investigating the incident.

Australian authorities are also investigating a trip the father and son took to the Philippines before the alleged terror attack. 

Philippines immigration officials have confirmed the pair travelled to the south-east Asian country on November 1.

Their last known destination was listed as Davao, a popular tourist city on the southern island of Mindanao, which has long been associated with IS activity.

Australian authorities have been probing whether the father and son attended a military training program before they returned home to Sydney via Manila on November 28. 

However, Philippine authorities deny the region is an IS training hotspot and say there is no evidence the pair engaged in military exercises during their trip.

The massacre has led to urgent calls for gun reform after it was revealed Sajid was a registered firearms owner, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledging to push for tighter restrictions.

Police will allege that four guns were found at the scene and two more – also legally owned – were recovered during property searches. 

Naveed’s charges include 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with intent, one count of committing a terrorist act, and one count of discharging a firearm in public.

He is also facing one count of causing a public display of a prohibited terrorist symbol, and one count of placing an explosive in or near a building with intent to cause harm.  

The father and son’s alleged deceased victims include Peter Meagher, 61, Alex Kleytman, 87, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, 39, Reuven Morrison, 62, Matilda, 10, Tibor Weitzen, 78, Marika Pogany, 82, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, Dan Elkavam, 27, Edith Brutman, 68, and Boris Tetleroyd.

Dozens of others were allegedly hospitalised with various injuries after the attack, including two police officers who were among the first responders to the scene. 

Naveed’s matter was heard in court on Wednesday afternoon. 

He did not apply for bail and will next face court on April 8 next year.