New court documents detail the alleged actions and planning by Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid Akram, in connection with an attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach on December 14. Naveed Akram has been charged with 15 counts of murder and dozens of other offenses related to the incident. He was released from hospital on Monday and transferred to prison after being shot by police during the attack. Sajid Akram, the second alleged gunman, was fatally shot by police.
Alleged Attack Details
Police documents allege that the Akrams threw four undetonated explosives, including a "tennis ball bomb," at the beginning of the attack. Three homemade pipe bombs and the tennis ball bomb were allegedly thrown as they approached a footbridge, but did not detonate, although they were assessed as viable. A fifth explosive device was reportedly found later in their vehicle.
Planning and Motivation
Police allege that the Akrams planned the attack for several months. Videos discovered on Naveed Akram's phone reportedly show the pair were motivated by a "violent extremist ideology" linked to the Islamic State group. These videos allegedly include one recorded in October where the Akrams are seen in front of an Islamic State flag, detailing their motivations for the Bondi attack and condemning "the acts of 'Zionists'." Naveed Akram is also alleged to recite a passage from the Quran in Arabic in this video.
Preparation and Reconnaissance
Another video reportedly found on Naveed Akram's phone shows the two men conducting firearms training in what police believe to be rural New South Wales in October. Police allege the video depicts them firing shotguns and moving tactically. CCTV footage from two days before the attack reportedly shows the Akrams driving to Bondi Beach and performing reconnaissance, walking along the same footbridge from which the attack was later carried out.
CCTV also allegedly captured the Akrams leaving rented accommodation in Campsie, Sydney, hours before the attack. They were reportedly carrying "long and bulky items wrapped in blankets," which police allege were three firearms, homemade improvised explosive devices (including the "tennis ball bomb"), and two Islamic State flags. The items were placed in a car, and the Akrams then drove to Bondi, where they allegedly placed the flags inside the front and rear windows of the vehicle before proceeding to the footbridge.