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Bondi Attackers "Went Dark" to Hide Plot, Says Australia Intel Chief

Australia's intelligence chief stated the perpetrators of the December Bondi Beach terror attack demonstrated high security awareness to conceal their plot from authorities. The attack, targeting a Hanukkah celebration, resulted in 15 fatalities, making it the nation's deadliest mass shooting since 1996. Alleged attacker Sajid Akram was killed by police, while his son Naveed was arrested and faces numerous charges including murder. ASIO had previously investigated Naveed Akram in 2019 but deemed him not a threat, a conclusion reviewed after the attack.

Key Points: Bondi Beach Attackers Hid Plans, Says Intelligence Chief

  • Attackers hid plans from intelligence agencies
  • 15 killed in Hanukkah event attack
  • Alleged shooter Sajid Akram killed at scene
  • Son Naveed Akram charged with 59 offenses
2 min read

Bondi Beach attackers went dark to hide plans, says Australia's intelligence chief

Australia's spy chief says Bondi attackers demonstrated high security awareness to stay off radar before deadly December mass shooting.

"It appears the alleged terrorists demonstrated a high level of security awareness to hide their plot. - Mike Burgess"

Canberra, Feb 11

The perpetrators of the terror attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach in December demonstrated high levels of awareness to hide their plans, Australia's intelligence chief said.

Mike Burgess, director-general of security of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), told a Senate hearing that law enforcement and intelligence agencies did not know that the perpetrators of the Bondi attack were planning anything prior to the fatal mass shooting on December 14, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It appears the alleged terrorists demonstrated a high level of security awareness to hide their plot. In simple terms, they went dark to stay off the radar," he said.

Fifteen people were killed in the attack, which targeted an event celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, making it Australia's most deadly mass shooting since 1996.

One of the alleged attackers, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police at the scene while his son, 24-year-old Naveed, was arrested and charged with 59 offenses, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act.

Naveed Akram was in 2019 investigated by ASIO over alleged links to a Sydney-based Islamic State terror cell, but was deemed not to pose a terror threat.

Burgess said on Tuesday night that he commissioned a review of the previous investigation immediately following December's attack, which concluded that the Akrams did not intend to engage in violent extremism in 2019.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
"Went dark to stay off the radar" – this is the real challenge for security today. From Mumbai 26/11 to this, terrorists are learning. We need better international cooperation on intelligence sharing, not just between Five Eyes but with countries like India too.
A
Aditya G
Very sad news. Attacking people during a religious festival is the lowest form of cowardice. The world needs to stand united against this kind of hatred. Hope the review leads to concrete changes in how potential threats are assessed.
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Sarah B
It's concerning that someone investigated in 2019 was later involved in this. While I understand agencies can't monitor everyone forever, maybe there needs to be a different threshold for re-evaluating old subjects when new patterns emerge globally?
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Vikram M
This shows the limitations of reactive intelligence. By the time you detect a "plot," it's often too late. The focus has to shift more to proactive community engagement and countering extremist ideologies online, which is where these ideas fester.
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Karthik V
A respectful criticism: The intelligence chief saying they "did not know" feels like an admission of failure, even if the perpetrators were clever. Public confidence is shaken by such events. The review is good, but transparency about what will change is better.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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