- One Bondi Beach shooter identified as 24-year-old Naveed Akram from Sydney suburb Bonnyrigg
- Police raided Akram's home amid investigation into attack on Hanukkah crowd in Bondi Beach
- At least 12 killed and 29 injured, including two police officers in critical condition
One of the alleged Bondi Beach shooters has been identified as Naveed Akram from Bonnyrigg, Sydney, according to a senior law enforcement official. Police raided the 24-year-old's home Sunday evening as part of the ongoing investigation, as per ABC News.
“This is not a time for retribution, this is a time to allow the police to do their duty,” NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon, addressing social media speculation, said at a press conference. He added that one of the suspects “has very, very little knowledge to the police so he's not someone we would've been looking at, at this time.”
The attacks occurred around 6:30 pm local time, targeting a crowd celebrating the first night of Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival. At least 12 people were killed and 29 others injured, including a child and two police officers, both of whom are in “serious, verging on critical” condition and undergoing surgery, Lanyon said.
Premier Chris Minns confirmed the death count and said the attack was “designed to target Sydney's Jewish community.”
Who Is Naveed Akram?
Naveed Akram, 24, is originally from Lahore, Pakistan, and was a student at Sydney's al-Murad Institute, social media reports indicate.
He is seen wearing a Pakistan cricket jersey in a license photo circulating online.
Of the two gunmen involved, one was killed at the scene while the other was hospitalised in critical condition, authorities said. They are investigating whether a third gunman or any accomplices were involved.
Australian Police Call It A “Terror Attack”
A vehicle in Campbell Parade, Bondi, was found to contain several improvised explosive devices. “A rescue bomb disposal unit is there at the moment working on the vehicle,” Lanyon added.
“The types of weapons… some of the other items we found at the scene – as I said, we have found the improvised explosive device in a car which is linked to the deceased offender,” Commissioner Lanyon said, officially declaring the incident a “terrorist attack.”
He also praised a bystander who was filmed wrestling with one of the attackers, snatching his rifle, and subduing him. The 15-second video shows the unarmed man running towards the shooter, holding him from behind, and pointing the weapon back at him.
Naveed Akram was supposedly the attacker disarmed in the viral video, though he allegedly fired more shots after fleeing the scene.
Police have not yet released details about the firearms or how the attackers obtained them, only confirming they were long arms.
