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Bondi Beach shooter Sajid Akram originally from Hyderabad, officials say
Telangana police also stated that Sajid Akram had very limited contact with his family in India.
Sajid Akram, the 50-year-old man who along with his son gunned down 15 people at Australia's famous Bondi Beach on Sunday, and died during altercation with police, was originally from Hyderabad, said Telangana police on Tuesday.
Telangana police said that Sajid Akram had migrated to Australia 27 years ago and “had limited contact” with his family in Hyderabad.
Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed, 24, had opened fire with rifles at a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing 15 people. The death toll in the mass shooting, which is being termed as one of Australia's deadliest terrorist attacks, rose to 16 as Sajid was killed during an exchange of fire with the police after the incident. Meanwhile, his son, Naveed, is in a critical condition and receiving treatment at a hospital under police guard.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had described the shooting as a “targeted attack" on Jewish Australians and “an act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation”.
Police further said that the factors that led to the radicalisation of Sajid Akram, his son, “appear to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana”.
Sajid visited India six times after migrating to Australia, Reuters reported, citing police, who added that his family "has no knowledge of his 'radical mindset'".
Cops also said they have no record of Sajid Akram before he left India. Authorities said they will cooperate with federal agencies and other counterparts as required in the probe into the Bondi Beach shooting.
Earlier in the day, the Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration confirmed that Sajid Akram was an Indian national and had visited the country in November, HT reported earlier.
Dana Sandoval, a spokesperson for the Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration, said, “Sajid Akram, 50, Indian national (Australian resident), and Naveed Akram, 24, Australian national, arrived in the Philippines together last November 1, 2025 from Sydney, Australia.”
She added, “Both reported Davao as their final destination. They left the country on November 28, 2025 on a connecting flight from Davao to Manila, with Sydney as their final destination.”
Sajid Akram's family was reportedly shocked by the news of the Bondi Beach shooting and had not been in touch with him for many years, The News Minute reported. His brother, who lives in Hyderabad, told the news outlet that "...Sajid had left Hyderabad for Australia more than 25 years ago and later married a Christian, after which the family cut ties with him”.
Sajid's ties were reportedly severed with his family after he married a Christian.
The TNM report further mentioned, “A source in the government said that Sajid’s father, after coming back from Saudi Arabia many years ago, bought an apartment in Hyderabad. Around this time, Sajid left for Australia in 1998 on a student visa. Indian agencies have found in a preliminary probe that Sajid came to Hyderabad a few years ago and the brothers had a fallout over property. Sajid’s other family members in Hyderabad will also be questioned."
