The dad suspected of carrying out the massacre at Sydney’s Bondi Beach has been pictured for the first time since the mass shooting.
Sajid Akram, 50, is accused of carrying out the terrorist incident, which left 15 innocent people dead, with his son Naveed during Hanukkah celebrations on Sunday, December 14.
Sajid was shot and killed by police at the scene, while the second suspect, Naveed, was injured but taken to the hospital alive, where he woke up from a coma on Wednesday.
New pictures allegedly show Sajid and Naveed carrying out firearms training in New South Wales, with a man thought to be Sajid aiming a rifle at a target in the distance in a lush field.
What is known about Sajid Akram?
Now more details have emerged about Sajid, who had lived in Australia since 1998 and started a family there with his wife, Verena.
Indian officials have revealed Sajid was from Hyderabad, a major technological and industrial hub in the country’s south, where he completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
He obtained a student visa to Australia in the late 1990s before changing it to a partner visa following his marriage to Italian-born Verena.
Sajid is believed to have travelled back to India six times while living in Australia, including for family and property reasons, although he did not fly back at the time of his dad’s death in 2017, Daily Mail reports citing Indian police.
His last known trip was reportedly in 2022 for a two-week stint.
Australian detectives have allegedly found an ISIS propaganda video inside the Campsie rental flat Sajid and Naveed had stayed in over the weekend before the massacre.
An IS flag was found on the bonnet of a car linked to one of the suspects, Naveed, which was discovered near Bondi Beach.
The pair allegedly travelled to the Philippines in early November to Davao, an area suspected of IS activity, and Australian authorities are now investigating whether they took part in militant training. Officials from the Philippines have denied that the region is linked to any IS presence and said there is no evidence the Akrams were involved with a military programme while in the region.
CCTV footage shows the father and son going in and out of the rental apartment around 12 miles west of Bondi Beach just hours before the shooting unfolded.
Verena Akram said previously that Naveed had told her he and his dad were spending the weekend fishing and scuba diving in Jervis Bay.
Verena is thought to have been estranged from Sajid before the alleged shooting. She claimed they were no longer living together at the time of the incident.
She has refused to accept Sajid’s body for burial, meaning it will be handed over to the state government for a destitute burial for those without any relatives or family, according to News Australia.
The Bondi Beach tragedy has sparked a debate over gun ownership laws in Australia.
Sajid had a legal licence to own firearms, and he was a member of a gun club.
Four guns were allegedly found at the scene, while two more legally owned weapons were discovered during property searches in Sydney.
Naveed is facing dozens of charges in relation to the incident, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with intent, and committing a terrorist act.
The first victims of the massacre were buried last week, including British-born rabbi Eli Schlanger. Among those killed were ten-year-old Matilda and Holocaust survivour Alex Kleytman, 87.
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