ASIO probed Naveed Akram links to Islamic State in 2019, Anthony Albanese confirms
Updated ,first published
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed that local spy agency ASIO is interested in one of those who carried out Sunday’s Bondi massacre six years ago; as law enforcement faced questions about whether they could have done more to prevent the deadliest terrorist attack on Australian soil.
Albanian and state and territory leaders also vowed Monday evening to make major changes to strengthen national gun control laws and ensure regulations are consistent across the country, after it was revealed that one of the attackers legally possessed six firearms.
Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram, father and son from Sydney, were identified as the two people who opened fire on people attending the Hanukkah ceremony held in Bondi, killing at least 15 people.
Police confirmed that the father was shot dead on Sunday, while his son was in a critical but stable condition in hospital on Monday.
Albanese told reporters on Monday afternoon that his “son first came to attention in October 2019.”
“Due to his association with others, he was examined and it was assessed that there was no ongoing threat or sign of threat of resorting to violence,” Albanese said.
He continued: “An evaluation was made due to his son’s associations at that time and the investigation lasted six months.”
A law enforcement source told this imprint that 24-year-old Naveed Akram was flagged by authorities in 2019 because he was believed to be accessing extremist online materials or socializing with other radicalized individuals.
Authorities investigated Naveed Akram but did not find his activities sufficient to warrant a charge.
His father, Sajid Akram, showed none of the signs of radicalization that his son did.
They are investigating the possibility that the son may have played a role in his father’s radicalization.
The ABC reported on Monday that ASIO was interested in Naveed Akram because of his links to Islamic State terrorist Isaac Al Matari, who was jailed for seven years for masterminding the ISIS insurgency, which saw the self-proclaimed Australian commander of the terrorist group.
Two sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to this imprint that Naveed Akram is linked to Al Matari.
This imprint understands that authorities concluded at the time that Naveed Akram was merely an acquaintance of El Matari and not a close associate. They also found no evidence that he had been radicalized, which explains why he has not been pursued since.
Home Secretary Tony Burke said: “ASIO’s assessment was more about his associations at that point than his personal motivations.”
Burke also confirmed that Naveed Akram is an Australian-born citizen. Burke explained that Sajid Akram came on a student visa in 1998, switched to a partner visa in 2001, and received a residence-return visa after trips abroad.
Albanese told ABC 7.30 He said Monday night that Naveed Akram was not on the watch list and that authorities had found no evidence that he had been radicalized.
Asked whether Sajid Akram should have been allowed to own six firearms, given that his son was being investigated for his links to extremists, Albanese said: “The father was also interviewed at the time. [and had] “He showed no signs of radicalization.”
ASIO chief executive Mike Burgess said late on Sunday night that one of the attackers was known to his organization before he was shot but was “not posing an immediate threat”.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said on Monday that “authorities had very little information about any of these men” before the attack.
Lanyon said Sajid Akram had been a licensed firearm owner for the last 10 years.
“He has 6 firearms licensed to him. We are pleased to have 6 firearms from the scene yesterday,” he said.
Albanese said his government was ready to take any measures necessary to keep society safe, including stricter gun laws.
In a statement following a national cabinet meeting on Monday afternoon, the country’s leaders said they would impose limits on the number of firearms a person can own, review the length of gun licences, and make Australian citizenship a condition for owning a gun.
Albanese said before the meeting: “People’s circumstances change; people can become radicalized over time.” “Licenses should not be permanent”
The statement also stated that work on the long-promised National Firearms Registry will be accelerated.
Albanese has previously said the widely praised gun reforms introduced by the Howard government after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre had made a “tremendous difference” in Australia, but it was now time to see whether they needed to be strengthened.
“If we need to strengthen those, if there’s something we can do, I’m definitely up for it,” he said.
Counter-terrorism expert Greg Barton from Deakin University said: [Naveed Akram] It’s been interesting in 2019, people will ask if the authorities missed something… People will ask if enough was done to monitor it. “The authorities themselves will ask this.”
But he stressed ASIO was monitoring large numbers of people at the same time.
“Just because you find someone with connections and contacts doesn’t mean you have a basis to charge them or arrest them,” Barton said.
Barton said questions had to be asked about whether more armed police should be present at Bondi Beach, given the nature of the Hanukkah incident and the rise of antisemitism since the October 7 attacks and subsequent war in Gaza.
John Coyne, who works in national security and counter-terrorism roles with the Australian Federal Police, said it was too early to tell whether there was an intelligence failure before Sunday’s attack.
“It’s a wonderful thing to look back on,” said Coyne, who is now director of the national security program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
He noted that Burgess raised the terrorism threat level to probable last year and has repeatedly warned of the growing threat of radicalization in Australia.
He added that NSW Police’s designation of the attack as a terrorist attack would allow ASIO to use special powers, including control and detention orders, as well as work more closely with state and federal police.
Coyne called for a royal commission into the terror attack and the rise in antisemitism over the past two years; That call was supported by former national security official Chris Taylor, director of ASPI’s center for statecraft and intelligence policy.
Including Israeli media outlets Jerusalem PostIt was stated that Israeli authorities are investigating whether state actors, especially Iran, were involved in the mass shooting.
Australian officials have given no indication that they believe foreign state actors played a role in the attack.
Mostafa Rachwani is a Parramatta reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He was previously a Community Affairs correspondent for Guardian Australia.Connect via email.
