Telangana Police Clarify Bondi Beach Attacker Sajid Akram’s Minimal India Connections

Telangana Police clarified on Tuesday that Sajid Akram, the 50-year-old perpetrator killed in a confrontation with Australian authorities following the Bondi Beach terror attack, maintained minimal connections with his family in Hyderabad over almost three decades. Akram, who did not return to India even upon his father's passing, had visited the country only six times since migrating to Australia in November 1998, mainly for property issues and to see his aging parents.

Originally from Hyderabad where he earned a B.Com degree, Akram holds an Indian passport despite his long-term residence abroad. The police statement emphasized his limited interactions with relatives in India over 27 years, underscoring the detachment that characterized his relationship with his homeland prior to the December 14 incident.

The attack targeted a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach, where Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed opened fire, resulting in 15 deaths and injuries to at least 42 individuals. Sajid Akram was subsequently neutralized by police, raising the toll to 16, while Naveed is receiving treatment under strict guard as investigations proceed across multiple nations.

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Authorities noted Akram's marriage to a woman of European descent in Australia, with whom he had two children holding Australian citizenship. Relatives in India professed ignorance regarding any radical tendencies or events that might have influenced his ideology, with police asserting no links to local factors in Telangana or prior adverse records in India before 1998.

The Philippines confirmed the duo's travel to the country from November 1 to 28, 2025, designating Davao as their endpoint, amid probes into potential influences from regions associated with Islamic State activities. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese classified the assault as a deliberate terrorist act inspired by Islamic State doctrine.

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