The Kabul Tribune (KT) — An Australian television program has challenged online claims circulating in parts of media that linked the perpetrators of the Bondi attack to Pakistan.
The commercial affairs program A Current Affair reported
that it interviewed a coworker of one of the alleged attackers, who said the
man’s father was an Indian immigrant and his mother was Italian. According to
the program, the younger man was an Australian-born citizen.
The broadcast came after several social media accounts and
some regional outlets, including Afghanistan’s Shamshad TV, posted assertions
identifying the attackers as Pakistani. Those claims spread widely online in
the hours following the attack.
Australian authorities have not publicly released the
suspects’ names. However, Australia’s national broadcaster ABC and other local
media identified the men as Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed Akram.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the older man arrived
in Australia in 1998 on a student visa, while his son was born in Australia and
held Australian citizenship.
Police said two attackers were involved. The 50-year-old
father was killed at the scene, bringing the death toll to 16, while his
24-year-old son was taken to hospital in critical condition.
Police said about 40 people were hospitalized following the
attack, including two police officers who were listed in serious but stable
condition. The victims ranged in age from 10 to 87.
Security officials said one of the attackers was previously
known to authorities but had not been assessed as posing an imminent threat.
Investigations into the motive and circumstances of the attack are ongoing.
