The attack on a Jewish gathering at Sydney's Bondi beach on Sunday appears to have been inspired by ISIS, Australian police said.
Two gunmen killed 15 people and injured dozens more when they opened fire on people gathered to mark the Jewish festival of Hanukkah on Sunday evening.
The suspects are a father and son, aged 50 and 24, authorities have said. The older man, whom state officials named as Sajid Akram, was shot dead at the scene by police. His son, identified by local media as Naveed Akram, is in a critical condition in hospital.
Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett told a press briefing that “early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by [ISIS]".
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said explosive devices and the two home-made ISIS flags were found in a vehicle registered to the younger suspect near the scene of the attack.
The suspects travelled to an area of the Philippines last month, Mr Lanyon. “The reasons why they went and the purpose of that trip, and where they went when they were there, are under investigation,” he said.
Separately, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration said the suspects had arrived in the country together on November 1 and headed to Davao on Mindanao. The southern island is where groups aligned with ISIS have operated.
They left the Philippines on November 28 on a connecting flight from Davao to Manila, with Sydney as their final destination, according to a spokesperson.
The younger suspect had connections and associations with members of a Sydney-based ISIS terrorism cell and was a follower of Sydney radical cleric Wisam Haddad, the ABC reported.
Addressing the press conference, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said ISIS was a “radical perversion of Islam”.
“ISIS was created by an evil ideology that has been called out not just by the Australian government but the global community. These anti-Semitic terrorist attacks will not be successful with their objective, which is to divide us as a nation,” he said.
A major Australian Muslim organisation condemned the “horrific” shooting. “Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and all those who witnessed or were affected by this deeply traumatic attack,” the Australian National Imams Council said.
A fruit shop owner who tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen during the attack has been hailed as a hero. In a video that has been widely shared on social media, Ahmed Al Ahmed, 43, can be seen wrestling one of the alleged attackers before disarming him – earning him praise for his bravery.
Mr Al Ahmed is of Syrian origin, arriving from Idlib to Australia in 2006. He is a fruit vendor and father of two daughters, according to media reports.
Mr Albanese told reporters on Tuesday that he had met with “Australian hero Ahmed Al Ahmed and his family”.
“I thanked him for the lives that he helped to save and I wished him all the very best with his surgery that he will undertake tomorrow,” Mr Albanese said.
He added in a video shared on social media: “Ahmed Al Ahmed represents the best of our country.”
