SYDNEY: Australia’s intelligence service investigated one of the alleged gunmen in the Bondi Beach shooting for links to the Islamic State group six years ago, the national broadcaster said Monday.
A 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son are accused of opening fire Sunday on a Hanukkah festival at the famed Sydney beach, killing 15 people and wounding more than 40 others.
Australian media named the gunmen as Sajid Akram, who was killed in a shootout with police, and his son Naveed Akram, who was in hospital in a critical condition under police guard.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation looked into the son in 2019, according to public broadcaster ABC, which cited an unnamed senior official in the joint counter-terrorism operation investigating the Bondi Beach attack.
It said Naveed Akram was believed to be closely connected to an Islamic State member who was arrested in July 2019 and convicted of preparing a terrorist act in Australia.
The broadcaster said counter-terrorism detectives believed the two Bondi Beach gunmen had pledged allegiance to Islamic State.
Senior officials reportedly told that the ABC two IS flags were found in the gunmen’s car at the beach.
ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess told reporters on Sunday that one of the gunmen was “known to us but not in an immediate threat perspective”.
“So, obviously we need to look into what happened here,” he added.
New South Wales police said they could not confirm the ABC report.
ASIO said it “does not comment on individuals or ongoing investigations”.