A new development in the Bondi Beach shooting case has shed light on more details about the terror suspects. According to a police “fact sheet,” detailed in reports by the CNN and Guardian, mentions of an alleged ISIS-inspired video manifesto and claims of the use of unexploded bombs has emerged.
Father-son duo Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, were identified as the people believed to be behind the shoot at a Jewish celebration on December 14 in Sydney, Australia.
While the 24-year-old is facing charged of murdering 15 people and injuring dozens of other people, his 50-year-old father died at the scene after police shot him. Although Naveed was also shot in the abdomen, police is said to have tended to him to stop the bloodshed, as per the report.
Bondi shooting suspects used four bombs: Report
In a court document released Monday, police alleged that the Akram father-son duo threw four bombs at the crowd before opening fire at innocent people in Sydney, as per the Guardian.
The report further suggested that of these four undetonated explosive, one was a “tennis ball bomb,” and the other four were pipe bombs. Despite them not exploding, officials alleged they were “viable improvised explosive devices.”
Images suggesting that the shooters allegedly packed an improvised explosive device (IED) in the trunk of their vehicles, and that four undetonated bombs were allegedly found at the scene were included in the CNN report, citing New South Wales Police.
Bondi Beach suspects’ video manifesto
Containing redactions, the court document pointed towards the existence of alleged images and a video, which showed Naveed and Sajid holding rifles. According to CNN, these visual offerings cited in the court document suggested that the two received tactical training and practiced shooting ahead of the December 14 terror attack.
“The accused and his father are seen throughout the video firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner,” the document reads, as per CNN.
A video, allegedly filmed in October, showed the men allegedly doing firearms training in a rural area.
Other videos allegedly captured the father and son duo voicing views adhering to “religiously motivated violent extremism ideology.”
In a separate video recorded in front of an image of the Islamic State flag, the Akram pair was seen “condemning the acts of Zionist,” while also seemingly summarising the “justification for the Bondi terrorist attack,” as per CNN. The document reported therein highlighted that Naveed and Sajid may have been planning the terrorist attack for months.
As per the document released by New South Wales Police, and subsequently reported globally, the two men visited the Bondi Beach site on December 12, offering up “evidence of reconnaissance and planning of a terrorist act,” as per the court document.