Australia’s Home Affairs Minister, Anthony Burke, stated this morning that the 24-year-old attacker who left at least 15 dead appeared on the radar of the security services in 2019, but noted that at that time “there was no indication of any threat.”
“The son first came to attention in October 2019. He was examined on the basis of his association with others and it was assessed that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat that he would participate in acts of violence,” he said when asked about his investigation by the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), in a press conference in which he avoided describing this information as a failure.
Burke has also reported that the young man, who is hospitalized and in police custody, has Australian nationality, while the father – a now deceased 50-year-old man who had a weapons license – arrived in the country in 1998 with a student visa.
“The father arrived in 1998 with a student visa, in 2001 he obtained a partner visa and, since then, after each trip abroad, he has had return resident visas, which has happened on three occasions,” the politician declared, although he avoided commenting on his origin when asked if the man came from Pakistan.
The Australian authorities have not revealed the identities of the assailants, although local media have indicated that they are Sajid (50) and Naveed Akram (24).
Disarmed by a “hero”
The man who disarmed one of the perpetrators of the attack is recovering in a hospital after being shot in the arm and hand, a relative said. Identified by Australian media as , 43 years old, he hid behind some vehicles on Sunday to surprise one of the assailants and struggled with him until he took away with his own hands the rifle with which he was shooting at passers-by on the popular Bondi beach.
“He is 100% a hero,” Mustafa, Ahmed’s cousin, told Australian channel 7 News.
The relative said Ahmed, a father of two and owner of a fruit store, remains hospitalized after undergoing surgery for gunshot wounds to his arm and hand.
The attack occurred around 6:40 p.m. local time (ten hours less in Madrid) on Sunday, when two men armed with rifles opened fire on the crowd gathered in a park near the famous beach, one of the busiest and most touristy in the country. The Australian authorities confirmed this Monday that the alleged perpetrators of the terrorist attack are a 50-year-old man, who died after the confrontation with the police, and his 24-year-old son, who remains hospitalized in police custody.
The Police indicated that they are not looking for more suspects and that the deceased had had a weapons license for a decade, with at least six registered weapons. Up to 14 people died at the scene and two others, including a 10-year-old girl and a 40-year-old man, later died in hospital.
Ahmed’s brave reaction has been praised on social media and by politicians both inside and outside the oceanic country. For this reason, even the president of the United States, , described the man as “a very, very brave person” who probably “saved many lives,” during a Christmas reception at the White House. For his part, Chris Minns, the political leader of New South Wales, where Sydney is located, said Ahmed is “a true hero.”
