Police cordon off an area at Bondi Beach after a shooting in Sydney on December 14 (AP)
Hyderabad: Sajid Akram (50) and his son Naveed Akram (24), shooters of Sydney’s Boondi Beach terror attack, who killed 16 people at a Jewish event on December 14, have links to India. Sajid holds an Indian passport while Naveed is an Australian citizen.
Background checks conducted by Telangana Police revealed Sajid hailed from Hyderabad but had limited contact with his family. In a press statement issued by the office of the Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) on Tuesday, police said Sajid, who initially resided in Hyderabad’s Tolichowki area, migrated to Australia around 27 years ago in search of employment. In these years, he visited India only six times.
Police said, in November 1998, he went to Australia on student visa after completing his BCom. In Australia, Sajid married Venera Grosso, a European origin woman and settled permanently in the country. The couple has a son, Naveed, one of the attackers, and a daughter. While Sajid carried an Indian passport his children, born in Australia, are Australian citizens.
Police said as per information available from Sajid’s relatives in India, he had limited contact with his family in Hyderabad and visited his hometown only on six occasions for family-related reasons such as property matters and visits to his elderly parents. It is understood that he did not travel to India during his father’s demise, police said.
“Family members have expressed no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his radicalisation. The factors that led to the radicalisation of Sajid and his son, Naveed, appear to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana,” the statement read.
“Telangana Police have no adverse records against Sajid during his stay in India prior to his departure in 1998. Telangana Police remain committed to cooperating with central agencies and other counterparts, as and when required, and urges the public and media to avoid speculation or attribution without verified facts,” the statement added.
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