Bondi Beach Shooting: Officials Look To Trace Shooters' Origins As Probe Picks Pace

Last Updated:December 15, 2025, 12:15 IST

One of the two suspects involved in the Sydney terror attack was linked to the private Al-Murad Institute in New South Wales.

Two gunmen dressed in black firing multiple shots on a bridge at Bondi Beach in Sydney. (AFP)

One of the suspects involved in the deadly terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach has been identified as an individual of South Asian origin, sources told CNN-News18, as Australian authorities widen their investigation into the attackers’ backgrounds, migration history and possible linkages to entities outside of Australia.

The probe is now focusing on the immigration trail of the Bondi Beach duo, with officials confirming that the father moved to Australia in the late 1990s and later transitioned through multiple visa categories. Australian agencies are examining the family’s roots in the subcontinent as part of a broader background assessment, sources said.

Authorities have since confirmed that one of the gunmen, Naveed Akram (24), was born in Australia and is an Australian citizen, while his father, identified by local media as Sajid Akram (50), first arrived in Australia in 1998 on a student visa. He later moved to a partner visa in 2001 and was on a resident return visa at the time of the attack, according to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.

Naveed Akram, who remains in critical condition under police guard, was previously known to Australia’s domestic intelligence agency ASIO. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that he came to the attention of security agencies in 2019, where he was assessed due to his associations. Authorities have said no indication of an imminent or ongoing violent threat was identified at the time.

Who Is Naveed Akram?

According to his Facebook page, viewed by the Jerusalem Post, Akram studied at Central Queensland University in Sydney and Hamdard University in Islamabad. He also studied at Al Murad Institute, where he was described as a model student. The Sydney Morning Herald described him as a bricklayer who recently lost his job.

As part of the investigation, security agencies have carried out raids at Akram’s residence in Bonnyrigg, a suburb in south-west Sydney, to identify signs of online radicalisation, including the consumption or circulation of extremist material and Gaza-linked narratives, sources told CNN-News18.

READ MORE: Sydney Bondi Beach Attack: IED Found In Car Linked To Shooter, Cops Call It ‘Act Of Terror’

However, there has been no word on this from the New South Wales Police. The head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Mike Burgess, said he was looking into the identities of the attackers and if there was anyone else in the community “with similar intent".

Additionally, police said they discovered an improvised explosive device (IED) in a car linked to one of the suspects involved in the shooting. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, addressing the nation, condemned the attack in the strongest terms, calling it “an act of evil, antisemitism and terrorism."

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