The father and son terrorists responsible for the Bondi Beach massacre had falsely informed their relatives they were departing for a fishing trip to Jervis Bay, a deception maintained just weeks after they returned from a suspicious visit to the Philippines, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Multiple law enforcement sources confirmed to the publication that Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, Sajid, had traveled to the Southeast Asian nation in November. The Australian Federal Police is reportedly investigating their movements within that country and the reasons behind the trip, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Authorities are also scrutinizing the pair's potential ties to Islamic State terror ideology after a flag was located in their vehicle at Bondi Beach following the shooting, alongside improvised explosive devices, Nine News reported.
The Islamic State of East Asia (ISEA), a regional branch of the terror group, has been listed as a proscribed terrorist organization by the Australian government since 2017.
"While there are no known links between ISEA and Australia, there have previously been links between Australians and terrorist groups in the Philippines," a briefing document reads.
Security cameras recorded the moment the terrorists launched their plan to massacre Sydney's Jewish community on Sunday, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. This occurred while their family operated under the false belief that the pair was visiting Jervis Bay for the weekend.
In reality, the duo was concealed within a small, grey brick home in Campsie, a short-term rental property that offers nightly accommodation to travelers, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
"He rings me up [on Sunday] and said, 'Mum, I just went for a swim. I went scuba diving. We're going … to eat now, and then this morning, and we're going to stay home now because it's very hot'," Naveed's mother, Verena, said on Monday morning as police swarmed the family residence at Bonnyrigg, Nine News reported.
Video evidence shows one of the gunmen instructing bystanders to clear the area before opening fire on crowds from the pedestrian bridge connecting Campbell Parade and Bondi Pavilion, The Sydney Morning Herald noted.
CCTV footage secured by The Sydney Morning Herald and Nine News captures Sajid and subsequently Naveed departing from 103 Brighton Avenue, Campsie, at approximately 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, shortly after the phone call.
The second individual, identified as Naveed dressed in black, appears to manipulate an object in the rear of the vehicle before taking the driver's seat of the silver hatchback, according to the report.
The car pulls out and begins its 40-minute journey to the east, The Sydney Morning Herald stated. Less than 90 minutes later, the first shots were discharged at Bondi Beach.
New footage reveals the father and son hours before they allegedly carried out the terrorist attack, Nine News reported. Naveed, an unemployed bricklayer, and Sajid, a fruiterer, fired into a crowd gathered to celebrate Hanukkah and a Bar Mitzva.
The rampage resulted in 15 fatalities and numerous injuries. Sajid was fatally shot by police at the scene, while Naveed was also shot and remains in critical condition in the hospital, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. Sources told the outlet that Naveed has awoken from his coma.
Police retrieved four weapons at the location and on Monday afternoon confiscated two additional firearms from the rented room in Campsie, Nine News noted. Officers entered and exited the home throughout the day, wearing ballistic vests until the evidence could be removed in large paper bags.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Monday that Sajid "arrived in 1998 on a student visa, transferred in 2001 to a partner visa and after trips overseas has been on resident return visas, which occurred three times".
Akram's mother was unable to identify her son from a photo taken at the shooting scene but stated she did not believe he could be involved in violent or extremist acts, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
"He doesn't have a firearm. He doesn't even go out. He doesn't mix around with friends. He doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke, he doesn't go to bad places … he goes to work, he comes home, he goes to exercise and that's it," she told this masthead.
"Anyone would wish to have a son like my son … he's a good boy."
Akram was searching for employment after being retrenched from his bricklaying job about two months prior, following his employer's insolvency, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Although he had many friends during high school at Cabramatta High School, he was not particularly social, Verena told the outlet. She noted he did not appear to spend significant time online, preferring fishing, scuba diving, swimming, and exercise.
Akram appeared to be tagged in a 2022 social media update indicating he had passed his Koran studies at Al-Murad Institute, which teaches Arabic and Koran studies in Heckenberg, western Sydney, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. The post has since been deleted. The man in the photograph, whom The Sydney Morning Herald chose not to identify, stated he had lost contact with Akram in early 2022.
"I am devastated by the images of the victims in Bondi," he said. The man indicated that he and his family had been forced to leave their home after receiving death threats, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
The report concluded that Akram's mother is a stay-at-home parent caring for her elderly mother, while Akram lived at the property with his parents and siblings in a three-bedroom home bought in 2024.
