Telangana – The Bondi Beach shooting gunman has been identified as Sajid Akram, a 50-year-old Indian national who migrated to Australia nearly three decades ago. The Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration confirmed on Tuesday that the perpetrator of the devastating terror attack on a Jewish gathering in Australia was an Indian national and Australian resident. Telangana Police subsequently verified that the Bondi Beach shooting gunman was originally from Hyderabad, having left India in November 1998, though he continues to carry an Indian passport.
The deadly attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday resulted in 15 fatalities and left 42 people injured when Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram opened fire with rifles during a Hanukkah event. The Bondi Beach shooting gunman was killed in an exchange of fire with police, while his son remains hospitalized under police guard.
Hyderabad Connections and Family Background
The Bondi Beach shooting gunman’s elder brother, Sahid Akram, who works as a doctor, resides in Al Hasarath Colony in Hyderabad’s Tolichowki area. As reports about Sajid Akram’s Hyderabad links began circulating through various platforms, Sahid Akram and his family members reportedly vacated their residence for an undisclosed location to avoid media attention and public scrutiny.
Telangana Director General of Police B Shivadhar Reddy issued a comprehensive statement confirming the gunman’s origins. According to the DGP, the Bondi Beach shooting gunman completed his Bachelor of Commerce degree in Hyderabad before migrating to Australia in search of employment approximately 27 years ago in November 1998. He subsequently married Venera Grosso, a woman of European origin, before settling permanently in Australia. The couple had two children—son Naveed, who participated in the attack, and one daughter.
Limited Contact With Indian Family
The Bondi Beach shooting gunman maintained remarkably sparse contact with his relatives in India over the past 27 years, according to the Telangana Police statement. After migrating to Australia, Sajid Akram visited India on only six occasions, primarily for property-related matters and to meet his elderly parents. However, the statement revealed a particularly striking detail: the Bondi Beach shooting gunman did not travel to India even at the time of his father’s death.
Before leaving their Hyderabad residence, Sahid Akram briefly spoke to local reporters, expressing shock over the incident and confirming they had not been in contact with Sajid for many years. “Sajid left Hyderabad for Australia more than 25 years ago. We cut ties with him long ago,” he stated, adding that his brother had not visited Hyderabad even when their father passed away in 2009. He further revealed that their mother, who is over 80 years old and has been unwell, received no inquiries from Sajid about her health.
According to available information, Sajid’s family reportedly severed ties with him after he married a Christian woman, highlighting the complete estrangement between the Bondi Beach shooting gunman and his Indian relatives.
Pre-Attack Travel to Philippines
Dana Sandoval, spokesperson for the Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration, provided crucial details about the Bondi Beach shooting gunman’s recent movements. Sajid Akram and his son Naveed arrived in the Philippines together on November 1, 2025, from Sydney, Australia. Both reported Davao as their final destination and departed the country on November 28, 2025, on a connecting flight from Davao to Manila, with Sydney as their final destination.
This travel pattern has drawn significant attention from investigators, as Davao is the largest city on the island of Mindanao, considered the gateway to southern Philippines, which remains a center of Islamic State activity. In 2017, Islamic State fighters besieged the city of Marawi in Mindanao for five months, prompting a massive government military operation.
Also Read: Sajid Akram Bondi Beach Shooter: Shocking Details of Hyderabad Man’s Terror Attack
Immigration and Citizenship Status
Australian Home Minister Tony Burke provided details about the Bondi Beach shooting gunman’s immigration history at a news conference. According to Burke, the father arrived in Australia in 1998 on a student visa, transferred to a partner visa in 2001, and “after each trip overseas since then has been on resident return visas, which has occurred three times.” These resident return visas allowed the Bondi Beach shooting gunman to travel in and out of Australia while retaining permanent residence status.
Despite his long residence in Australia, Sajid Akram continued to carry an Indian passport. His son Naveed and daughter were born in Australia and hold Australian citizenship.
Radicalization and Ideology
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated on Tuesday that the two attackers were motivated by Islamic State ideology and were apparently radicalized by beliefs associated with the terror group. However, the Telangana Police statement emphasized that “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.”
Family members in India stated they had “no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his radicalisation,” according to the official statement. A former colleague of Naveed Akram described the detained attacker’s background as Indian and Italian, noting that while Naveed spoke about religion sometimes, “he wasn’t somebody to force things down your throat” and possessed a firearms license.
International Diplomatic Response
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong spoke with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday, briefing him on the terrorist attack and ongoing investigation. Wong thanked Jaishankar for his condolences and the Indian government’s messages of support, with both ministers agreeing that there must be no place for antisemitism, violence, and terrorism. Jaishankar conveyed “our deepest condolences about the Bondi beach terrorist attack and offered our fullest support.”
