00:00Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach, one of the world's most famous waterfronts, turned into a war zone
00:21during a Hanukkah celebration in what authorities are calling one of Australia's deadliest
00:26terrorist attacks. Police say 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed opened fire
00:34on a Jewish Hanukkah 2020 by the sea event, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more in
00:43minutes. Tonight, the story behind the Bondi gunman traced back to Hyderabad, his links, his radicalization,
00:51and the big questions now facing both Australia and India. What happened at Bondi? The attack began
00:59on a Sunday evening as families, children and tourists gathered along Campbell Parade for the
01:05Festival of Lights. Witnesses described sudden rapid gunfire from an elevated footbridge, people
01:12dropping to the ground and a stampede as crowds ran for cover. Police say the father-son duo used long
01:19barrel guns and fired for nearly 10 minutes before officers shot and killed Sajid at the scene,
01:25while Naveed was critically injured and rushed to hospital under heavy guard. Among the dead are
01:31worshippers from 10 to over 80 years old, with more than 40 others hospitalized, including children
01:38and at least two police officers. Who is Sajid Akram? Investigators have now confirmed that one of the
01:45gunmen, Sajid Akram was originally from Hyderabad and migrated to Australia around 27 years ago.
01:54Despite living in Australia for nearly three decades, officials say he still held an Indian passport
02:00and had limited contact with his extended family back home. Relatives in Telangana recall him as a man
02:07who visited India only a handful of times after settling abroad, building a life in Australia,
02:13and marrying a woman of European descent. Police in India stress that Sajid had no known criminal
02:20record in the country and that there is no evidence his radicalization was linked to local networks in
02:26Hyderabad. Naveed, ISIS links and Philippines trip. The surviving gunman, Naveed Akram, is an Australian
02:35citizen and was already known to security agencies for past links to an Islamic State-inspired cell in Sydney.
02:43Australian intelligence agency, ASIO, had reportedly examined him in 2019 for close ties to extremists,
02:52but at the time concluded he did not pose an ongoing threat. Officials now say the pair appeared to be
02:58driven by Islamic State ideology, with IS flags recovered from their vehicle near the attack site.
03:05Investigators are also probing a recent trip the father and son made to the Philippines,
03:10looking into claims they may have received guidance or training before returning to carry out the attack.
03:17Impact on India and Australia
03:19In India, the revelation that the prime Bandai gunman was an Indian passport holder from Hyderabad
03:26has triggered shock, political debate and questions about monitoring diaspora links in global terror cases.
03:34Australian leaders, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, have condemned the massacre as a
03:39terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State and promised a full review of intelligence gaps.
03:46Both countries are now under pressure to coordinate more closely on intelligence sharing,
03:51track radicalization routes across borders, and reassure Jewish and other vulnerable
03:56communities after this anti-Semitic slaughter. As families mourn the 15 lives lost at Bandai,
04:04investigators in Sydney, Hyderabad and Manila are racing to map every step that led to this night of terror.
04:12The big question now, was this a lone radical family or the visible tip of a deeper global network waiting to strike again?
Comments