Authorities classified the attack as anti-Semitic, but had so far provided few details about the attackers’ motivations.
Anthony Albanese today gave the first indications that the two men had been radicalized before the attack. “It appears that this was motivated by the ideology of the Islamic State” (IS), the head of government told Australian broadcaster ABC.
In the vehicle found near Bondi beach, registered in the son’s name, were “two handmade Islamic State flags” and improvised explosive devicessaid this Tuesday the head of the New South Wales police, Mal Lanyon.
The fundamentalist group ISIS controlled vast territories in Iraq and Syria before being defeated in 2019, but it still has sleeper cells of fighters.
Lanyon said that the police are investigating a trip to the Philippines made by father and son a month before the attack. “The reasons why they went to the Philippines, the purpose of their trip and the places they visited are currently under investigation,” he said.
However, the Philippine immigration service indicated today that the father entered the country with an Indian passport and the son with an Australian document.
“Sajid Akram, 50 years old, an Indian citizen, and Naveed Akram, 24 years old, an Australian citizen, arrived together in the Philippines on November 1, 2025, from Sydney, Australia,” Philippine Immigration Department spokeswoman Dana Sandoval told AFP news agency
The official added that the couple’s final destination would be the Davao region (southeast) and that they left on November 28.
The south of the Philippine archipelago, in particular, is home to extremist pockets, some of which are linked to fundamentalist attacks.
Australian authorities now face questions about whether they could have prevented the attack. According to Albanese, Naveed Akram was the subject of checks by Australian intelligence in 2019, without appearing to pose an immediate threat.
“He drew attention due to relationships with other people”, and “two of the people with whom he was associated were indicted and detained, although he was not considered a potential suspect at the time”, declared Albanese.
On the day of the attack, the man told his mother that he was going to the city to fish, according to media reports. However, authorities believe that the young man locked himself in an apartment he rented with his father to prepare the attack.
Armed with shotguns, the pair shot at people on Bondi beach for ten minutes before police shot 50-year-old Sajid.
Detained by authorities and seriously injured, Naveed is in a coma in hospital, under surveillance by security forces.
The prime minister on Tuesday visited Ahmed al Ahmed, a fruit seller who managed to wrestle the gun from one of the attackers. “We are a courageous country. Ahmed al Ahmed embodies the best of our country”, highlighted Albanese.