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Sydney shooting: Naveed Akram identified as one of Bondi Beach attackers, police raiding his residence
Naved Akram, a man from the city's south-west, was believed to have carried out the attack at Australia's iconic beach.
One of the two gunmen behind the deadly Sydney’s Bondi Beach shooting, that left at least 12 dead and dozens injured, has been identified as Naveed Akram.
Akram, a man from the city's south-west, was believed to have carried out an attack at the Australian iconic beach, packed with visitors on a busy weekend, ABC Australia reported.
The Australian authorities said Akram's home in the suburb of Bonnyrigg was being raided by police on Sunday evening.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said one of the shooters was known to authorities, but clarified that “the person that we know has very, very little knowledge to the police”, ABC Australia reported.
“So he’s not someone that we would have automatically been looking at at this time,” he said.
Two gunmen armed with automatic rifles shot dead at least 12 people at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, police said.
One of the gunmen was fatally shot by police, while the second was arrested. Authorities said the arrested suspect was in critical condition.
However, it is not yet clear which one of the attackers was Naveed.
The police also said it found 'explosive device' in car linked to Bondi shooter, AP reported.
"We have found an improvised explosive device in a car which is linked to the deceased offender," New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told a news conference.
Lanyon also added that the shooting has been designated a terrorist attack, according to The Guardian. Police said Australian authorities have not yet confirmed the target of the attack.
In a statement, they said several suspicious items found in the area are being examined by specialist officers, and an exclusion zone has been established.
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Also Read | Video shows bystander overpowering armed shooter during Sydney Bondi Beach shooting
What we know so far about the shooters?
Gunmen opened fire shortly after 6.30 pm local time as hundreds attended the Chanukah by the Sea event, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation aired footage showing two black-clad gunmen firing at people from a footbridge near the beach.
Dramatic footage, apparently filmed by a member of the public and broadcast on Australian television channels, showed someone appearing to tackle and disarm one of the gunmen before pointing the man’s weapon at him.
Though the police has identified one of the shooters as Naveed Akram, there were no additional details on the shooter.
The internet was meanwhile flooded with pictures of the shooter's ID and social media profiles. But the authorities haven't confirmed whether the details were linked to the shooter.
Witness accounts of the shooters
Lachlan Moran, 32, from Melbourne, told The Associated Press he was waiting nearby for his family when he heard gunshots. He said he dropped the beer he was carrying for his brother and ran.
“You heard a few pops, and I freaked out and ran away. ... I started sprinting. I just had that intuition. I sprinted as quickly as I could,” Moran said. He added that he heard shooting intermittently for about five minutes.
A British tourist told AFP he saw “two shooters in black” after the gunfire erupted.
“There was a shooting, two shooters in black with semi-automatic rifles,” Timothy Brant-Coles told AFP, adding that he saw several people who had been shot and wounded.
Another witness, 30-year-old local resident Harry Wilson, told the Sydney Morning Herald that he saw “at least 10 people on the ground and blood everywhere.”
