The gunmen behind the Bondi Beach attack were driven by extremism, Australia’s Prime Minister has said. It comes amid reports that the father and son had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, with IS flags reportedly found in their car.
Anthony Albanese said on Monday that the attackers, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed, were not part of a terror cell, but “clearly, they were motivated by this extremist ideology.”
Two Islamic State (IS) flags were found in their car, a senior police official told ABC News.
15 people died in the Bondi Beach attack, while a further 25 remain in hospital, including two police officers. The oldest victim has been identified as an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, with the youngest, a 10 year-old child named Matilda. Non-Jewish victims have also been identified among the dead, including a volunteer photographer from a local rugby club.
Police have said that the attackers had prepared for the attack in a rented property close to Bondi Beach in Sydney.
Australian-born Naveed, who worked as a bricklayer, had come to the attention of authorities in 2019, but an assessment found “there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence.” His father, who died at the scene of the attack, owned a firearms license for recreational shooting and had six guns.
“[Naveed Akram] was examined on the basis of being associated with others and the assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence,” PM Albanese said.
The Australian Prime Minister said there was “no evidence that these people were part of a cell,” but added: “Clearly, they were motivated by this extremist ideology, and further detail, of course, will be released when the police go through their work.”
‘NO ONE CAN GUARANTEE THAT THINGS WON’T TURN VIOLENT HERE’
Meanwhile, Ireland’s chief rabbi has said that “no one can guarantee” that things will “not turn violent” in Ireland following Sunday’s mass shooting targeting the Jewish community in Sydney.
An Garda Síochána said on Sunday that there will be increased Garda patrols at centres and events for the Irish Jewish community in response to the attack.
Liaison Inspectors have been appointed to ensure An Garda Síochána continues its on-going engagement with the Jewish community to provide them with reassurance and support.
Chief Rabbi of Ireland Yoni Wieder told RTE’s Morning Ireland on Monday that the attack was a “sickening act of terror that has shaken us to our core.”
He said that people were murdered in cold blood simply for celebrating Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Light.
“We can’t stop thinking of them and their families, and those who were injured and remain in a critical condition. But we have to be very clear: This was an attack, first and foremost, against jewish people.
“There was also an attack on our collective values – the very values that are fundamental to having a civilised, moral society. If people cannot go to the beach to celebrate their faith without wondering whether they will come back home alive, then the world is a darker and more dangerous place for all of us,” Rabbi Wieder said.
“Hanukkah is the one day where we are more conspicuous than we would be otherwise. We do usually like to have a low profile, but on Hanukkah, we commemorate the Maccabees who fought for the right to live and worship freely.
“We light candles in the windows of our home facing the street for all to see, as we want to share the light of our festival and make the world a brighter place for everyone around us. For this to happen on a time like that and a day like that, when it’s supposed to be about sharing light to the world, is so painful,” he added.
Rabbi Wieder said that the sense of grief is “profound and very raw,” but said that the Jewish people have “endured far darker moments in our history.”
“So especially now, I have urged our community not to retreat in fear,” he added. “Our response is unequivocal. We are strong, we are resilient, and we will continue to express our Jewish identities openly and proudly.”
The Jewish leader said that he had secured a commitment from the Garda Commissioner that there would be extra policing and increased security at synagogues and places where Jewish events were happening over the festival.
“I’m very grateful for that, but this cannot just be about policing. There are serious concerns for Jewish people in Ireland,” he said, saying that over the past few years, there had been a “sharp rise” in incidents of hatred towards Jewish people “on our streets, in schools, on university campuses.”
“We’ve had targeted graffiti here in Dublin explicitly calling to kill Jews,” he said. “People are starting to recognise the hard truth – that no one can guarantee that things won’t turn violent here too.”
“It does not mean that anti-semitism has become a day to day issue for all Jewish people in Ireland. It hasn’t. But it does mean that there are persistent and very serious concerns that must be addressed.”