key points
- Bondi Beach suspects visited Philippines on Indian passports
- Alleged gunmen’s ties to so-called “Islamic State” investigated
- Ahmed al-Ahmed, the hero who disarmed the gunman, has ‘no regrets’ for his actions
- People continue to pay tribute to the victims at Bondi Beach
- Sydney Opera House lit up with menorah candles on the second day of Hanukkah
A father and son accused of carrying out Sunday’s terrorist attack on Australia’s Bondi Beach had visited the Philippines before the deadly shooting, police said Tuesday.
Officials said the reasons for that trip were being investigated.
Philippine immigration officials said the two men traveled to Manila, listing Davao in Mindanao as their final destination, a region long plagued by an Islamic insurgency.
The father entered using an Indian passport and the son entered using an Australian passport.
Suspects appear to be inspired by ‘Islamic State ideology’
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the two appeared to be motivated by “Islamic State ideology” when they opened fire on Sunday evening.
Albanese had previously said there was no evidence the father and son were part of a so-called “Islamic State” (IS) cell.
But in an interview with national broadcaster ABC on Tuesday morning, he said, “It appears that it was inspired by the ideology of Islamic State.”
The 24-year-old son was investigated by Australia’s intelligence agency ASIO in 2019. But ASIO did not put him on the watch list.
“He caught their attention because of his connection with others,” Albanese said. “Two of the people he was associated with were charged and went to jail, but he was not viewed as a person of interest at the time.”
Police confirmed on Tuesday that “two homemade IS flags” were found along with improvised explosive devices in the Bondi Beach shooters’ car.
Police have not yet given any reason for Sunday’s mass shooting. But he says it was clearly an anti-Semitic, terroristic act on Sydney’s Jewish community. They have also not officially revealed the names of the two shooters, although Australian media have identified them.
The police shot and killed the 50-year-old father on the spot. The son’s condition is serious but stable in the hospital under police protection.
Community mourns victims of Bondi shooting
Dozens of people lined up at Bondi Beach on Tuesday morning to mourn the 15 people killed and others injured in the terrorist attack.
They included 25-year-old Olivia Robertson, who visited the memorial before work.
“This is the country where our grandparents came to make us feel safe and have opportunity,” he said. “My heart is torn…it’s crazy.”
Their tributes and messages added to the huge pile of flowers outside the iconic Bondi Pavilion near the shooting site.
More than 1,000 people gathered outside the pavilion on Monday evening.
Rabbi Yossi Shuchat addressed the crowd and lit the menorah candles on the second day of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights.
He said, “Light will always exist; where there is light there can be no darkness.”
A menorah was also projected at the Sydney Opera House to pay tribute to the victims.
What do we know about the injured?
The state health authority, NSW Health, has given an update on the injured.
It said 25 people were still receiving care in eight different Sydney hospitals as of Tuesday morning local time, including three children.
Of the people admitted to the hospital, the condition of ten is critical.
Two police officers are also among the injured. One of the officers has undergone eye and shoulder surgery, local Nine News reports.
Lots of praise for Ahmed Al Ahmed
Syrian-Australian civilian Ahmed al Ahmed, who confronted one of the gunmen and seized his gun, is one of those still hospitalised. Relatives told local media that he underwent surgery on Monday and will face further procedures.
Al Ahmed, who has two daughters, was shot multiple times in the hand and arm and lost a lot of blood.
“He doesn’t regret his actions. He said he would do it again,” said Sam Issa, Ahmed’s immigration attorney.The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Monday night,
“But the pain has started to take a toll on him,” Issa said after meeting him.
Al Ahmed came to Australia in 2006 from Idlib, Syria, where, according to his parents, he worked as a security officer.
He has been hailed as a hero around the world for his actions, and a GoFundMe in his name has raised nearly 2 million Australian dollars ($1.2 million, €1 million) as of Tuesday morning.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the shooting, Ahmed thanked his well-wishers in a social media video. “I appreciate everyone’s efforts,” he said, according to an English translation by Turkish broadcaster TRT. “May God reward you and grant you prosperity.”
Edited by: Kieran Burke