Court documents released this week provide the clearest picture yet of how a father and son allegedly spent months preparing for what became Australia’s deadliest terror attack in decades, and just how narrowly an even greater catastrophe was avoided.
According to a police fact sheet made public by the New South Wales Local Court on Monday, investigators believe it was in October that Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, significantly escalated their plans. That month, the pair allegedly booked a short-term AirBnB in south-west Sydney for the first three weeks of December and began filming themselves conducting weapons training in rural New South Wales. In the videos, the two are seen firing shotguns and rehearsing tactical movement, behavior police say is consistent with preparation for a coordinated attack.
October was also when the men allegedly recorded one of the most revealing videos cited in the court material. Standing in front of an image of an Islamic State flag, with four long-arm firearms and ammunition displayed behind them, Naveed is said to have recited a passage from the Quran in Arabic before both men spoke in English about their motivations. According to the police summary, they condemned “the acts of Zionists” and appeared to articulate their justification for the attack they would later carry out at Bondi Beach.
While the documents leave open major questions about how and when the men were radicalized, they show that by early December the alleged preparations were extensive and deliberate. Police say the pair amassed at least six firearms, including two single-barrel shotguns and a Beretta rifle. Sajid held a valid New South Wales firearms licence. Investigators also allege they manufactured multiple explosive devices: three pipe bombs, a bomb concealed inside a tennis ball, and a larger improvised explosive device found later in their vehicle.
In addition, officers say the men produced two Islamic State flags using black fabric and white paint, printed components for a shotgun speed loader using a 3D printer, and stored other weapons at the family home in Bonnyrigg, including a homemade wooden firearm and a longbow with a dozen arrows.
