The alleged gunmen behind the Bondi beach attack are a father-son duo suspected of using legally obtained firearms to commit the massacre, according to police.
Naveed Akram, 24, was arrested at the scene and taken to a Sydney hospital with critical injuries. His 50-year-old father, who the Sydney Morning Herald first reported to be Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police. Police would not confirm their names.
The pair allegedly killed 15 people, with dozens more injured in the shootings which took place on Sunday, during a gathering to celebrate the first night of Hanukah.
The son was known to New South Wales police and security agencies, while his father had a firearms licence with six weapons registered to him. All six firearms have been recovered, police said.
Four of these weapons, long arms believed to include a rifle and shotgun, were seized at the scene in Bondi, with other weapons also found during a police raid at a house in Campsie, in Sydney’s south-west.
The NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, said the men had lived at another house in Bonnyrigg, in the city’s west, which was also raided on Sunday night.
Lanyon said there was nothing “to indicate that either of the men involved in yesterday’s attack was planning the attack”, and confirmed the older man had held a gun licence for a decade.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said there would “almost certainly” be changes to gun laws, and police were investigating whether there had been a failure of their systems in relation to how licensed weapons could have been used in a terror attack.
While police did not confirm the duo’s names to Guardian Australia, they have released details of their ages, the suburb in which they lived and information about the older man’s firearms licence.
Sajid had held a Category AB firearm licence, police said. This is a licence which requires a person to demonstrate to police they have a “special need” for certain weapons, which can include muzzle-loading firearms (other than pistols); centre-fire rifles (other than self-loading); and shotgun/centre-fire rifle combinations.
His son came under the attention of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) in October 2019, according to the prime minister, Anthony Albanese. Naveed was investigated for six months because of the people he was associating with.
“[Naveed] 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,” Albanese said.
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said Naveed is an Australian-born citizen. His father had arrived in Australia on a student visa in 1998, transferred in 2001 to a partner visa and had since been on resident return visas.
Lanyon would not comment on ABC reports that Naveed was identified in a 2019 counter-terror investigation involving an Islamic State cell, nor on reports claiming a manifesto or black Islamic State flag were found in the car driven to the scene by the alleged attackers.
Minns said it was too early to consider whether there were issues about intelligence held by federal authorities not being passed to NSW police.
Colleague recounts dealings at work sites
Until recently, Naveed Akram had been working as a bricklayer.
One former colleague told the Guardian he had worked with him on and off at various work sites for about five years, last seeing him a few months ago. He described Naveed as a strange colleague but a hard worker who had an interest in hunting.
“No one was close to him,” said the former colleague, who did not wish to be named.
“You spend a lot of time together, obviously bricklaying – [which is a] pretty mind-numbing job, so you do a lot of talking, but he was just a weird operator.
“He … worked hard, wouldn’t have days off.”
Although authorities have not said the son was a licensed firearms holder, the colleague claimed he hunted regularly, and spoke about shooting rabbits and other game around Crookwell, in the state’s southern tablelands.
They worked across Sydney, with the last job in which he saw Naveed on a site in Penrith.
Only weeks ago, Naveed told their boss he had broken his hand, so would be unable to work until 2026, the colleague said.
There has also been unconfirmed claims that Naveed was a member of a hunting club, after images emerged of what appears to be a membership card said to have been found in his wallet.
It’s not yet confirmed if he was a member of the club.
Shortly after the attack, an old photo of Naveed originally posted by sheikh Adam Ismail, the head of Al-Murad Institute, went viral. Ismail distanced himself from the man, telling Guardian Australia he hadn’t seen him since 2022.
“As I’ve done with 1,000s of students over the years, I’ve taught him Qur’an recitation and Arabic only for a combined period of one year. These were the only subjects I taught him, and they are the areas I specialise in,” he said
Ismail said he was deeply saddened by what had occurred, and gave his condolences to the victims and Jewish community.
“What I find deeply ironic is that the very Qur’an … clearly states that taking one innocent life is like killing all of humanity. This makes it clear that what unfolded yesterday at Bondi is completely forbidden in Islam.”
At Bonnyrigg, reporters and police were gathered outside the home that remained cordoned off with blue tape on Monday morning. Two police cars were parked out the front.
At around noon, three people returned to the house, which is owned by Naveed’s mother. A young man, and two women, who held paper over their heads to shield themselves from being filmed, exited a car and walked into the home.
Glenn Nelson lives across the road. He has been living in the area for 37 years and described it as a quiet area.
“My wife [calls it] ‘boring old Bonnyrigg’,” he told Guardian Australia from the front lawn of his house
He had been watching the news of the attack shortly before he noticed a commotion on the street at about 9.30pm Sunday.
“I came into the lounge room to watch something else, and then saw traffic … and flashing lights,” he said.
Another person who lives on the street said she was at work when she got a phone call from her parents to say something was happening on the street. She said she was shocked to learn it was related to the attack.
“We’re so sad for what has happened,” she said. “I left a very dangerous country to be safe here.”
• In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and Griefline on 1300 845 745. In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
