Australia’s Spy Agency Probed Bondi Beach Jihadi in 2019, Deemed No Immediate Threat

Image: Jihad Watch

Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), is understood to have previously investigated Naveed Akram, the alleged gunman involved in the deadly Bondi Beach attack, following the arrest of an Islamic State (IS) terrorist several years earlier.

According to reports, the investigation into Akram dates back to 2019, when Australian authorities disrupted an IS-linked terror plot in Sydney. Akram, now 24, allegedly carried out the Bondi Beach attack alongside his father, Sajid Akram, 50, during the Chanukah by the Sea celebration on Sunday afternoon. The shooting left at least 15 people dead and injured 42 others, with five victims remaining in critical condition.

Emergency responders and police swiftly moved in after the attack. Naveed Akram was apprehended at the scene and is currently being treated in hospital under armed police guard. He is reported to be in a critical but stable condition after being shot by police during the incident. His father, Sajid Akram, was fatally shot by officers while the attack was still unfolding.

Investigators from the Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) now suspect that both men may have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State prior to launching the attack. The ABC has reported that evidence uncovered during the investigation supports this line of inquiry. A senior JCTT official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that an IS-style flag was found inside the suspects’ vehicle, amid separate reports suggesting that a so-called “black flag” associated with extremist symbolism was also discovered in the vicinity.

The same official stated that ASIO’s interest in Naveed Akram was triggered in July 2019, following the arrest of Isaak El Matari, a man identified by authorities as an IS operative and a self-proclaimed Australian commander of the group. El Matari was later sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of planning an insurgency, attempting to recruit followers, seeking access to firearms, and rehearsing speeches ahead of potential travel to Afghanistan to join IS operations.

El Matari had returned to Australia in 2018 after spending nine months in a Lebanese prison for attempting to join Islamic State fighters overseas. Intelligence sources indicate that Naveed Akram maintained close associations with El Matari and other members of the same extremist network. Several individuals linked to this cell have since been convicted of terrorism-related offences, further intensifying scrutiny around Akram’s past connections.

ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess confirmed on Sunday that one of the Bondi attackers was known to the agency prior to the incident. However, he declined to identify which individual had been on ASIO’s radar. Burgess noted that while the individual was known to intelligence services, they were not assessed as posing an immediate threat at the time.

“One of these individuals was known to us, but not in an immediate-threat perspective,” Burgess said. “We now need to examine what occurred and whether there were indicators that were missed.”

Despite the emerging details, authorities have stated that there is currently no evidence suggesting the alleged shooters had direct operational links to the Islamic State. 

Investigators believe the men may have been inspired by or sympathetic to the group’s extremist ideology rather than acting under direct instruction, a distinction that remains a key focus of ongoing counter-terrorism inquiries.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)