Australia’s Bondi Beach shooter has an Indian connection: the elder of the two shooters Sajid Akram was originally from Hyderabad and left to study in Australia in 1998. That’s according to media reports quoting his relatives in the city.
Sajid apparently was not in close touch with his family and had cut off relations over a family dispute. He was in Hyderabad in 2022 and still held an Indian passport although his son Naveed, the other shooter who is undergoing treatment in a Sydney hospital, and a daughter are Australian citizens.
Police said there was nothing to indicate any ideological connection between Sajid’s alleged radicalisation and India.
But the Philippine immigration authorities have confirmed that Sajid and Navid entered the country on Nov 1 this year, leaving on Nov 28. They reportedly declared Davao in the southern Philippines as their final destination.
Davao on the island of Mindanao is an impoverished region where Islamic groups have historically operated. The Abu Sayyaf group, for example, had claimed allegiance to the Islamic State and currently fields around 100 armed fighters. It wants to establish an Islamic state and impose sharia law.
The Philippine authorities were unable to confirm if Sajid and Navid had any military training during their Davao visit. So the purpose of their visit to the Philippines continues to be a subject of investigation.
