Bondi Beach shooter, Sajid Akram, did not visit India even after father's death: Cops

Sajid Akram was shot dead during an encounter with police, taking the death toll to 16, while Naveed remains hospitalised under police guard.

Telangana Police on Tuesday said Sajid Akram, the 50-year-old man killed in an exchange of fire with Australian police after a terror attack on a Jewish gathering at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, did not travel to India even after his father’s death, underscoring his limited ties with his family in Hyderabad over nearly three decades.

In a detailed statement issued, Telangana Police said Sajid Akram was originally from Hyderabad, where he completed his B.Com degree, before migrating to Australia in November 1998. He continues to hold an Indian passport, the police said.(AFP/Representational)

In a detailed statement issued, Telangana Police said Sajid Akram was originally from Hyderabad, where he completed his B.Com degree, before migrating to Australia in November 1998. He continues to hold an Indian passport, the police said.

“Sajid Akram had limited contact with his relatives in Hyderabad over the past 27 years,” the statement said, adding that after migrating to Australia he visited India only six times, primarily for property-related matters and visits to his elderly parents.

“It is understood that he did not travel to India even at the time of his father’s demise,” the police added.

The clarification comes as multiple agencies across countries probe the December 14 mass shooting at Bondi Beach, in which Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram, 24, opened fire at a Hanukkah event, killing 15 people and injuring at least 42 others.

Sajid Akram was later shot dead during an encounter with police, taking the death toll to 16, while Naveed remains hospitalised under police guard.

The Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration earlier confirmed that Sajid Akram was an Indian national and Australian resident, and that he had travelled to the Philippines shortly before the attack.

Dana Sandoval, a spokesperson for the bureau, said Sajid Akram and his son arrived together from Sydney on November 1, 2025, reported Davao as their final destination, and left the country on November 28 on a return journey to Sydney.

Telangana Police said Sajid Akram married a woman of European origin after settling in Australia, and the couple had a son and a daughter, both Australian citizens.

Family members in India, the police said, have expressed no knowledge of his alleged radical mindset or activities, or of the circumstances that may have led to his radicalisation.

“The factors that led to the radicalisation of Sajid Akram and his son Naveed appear to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana,” the statement said, adding that there was no adverse record against Sajid Akram during his stay in India prior to his departure in 1998.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described the shooting as a targeted terrorist attack driven by Islamic State ideology.

Australian officials have said the father and son’s recent travel to the Philippines, including to Davao in Mindanao, a region with a history of Islamic State-linked activity, is part of the ongoing investigation.