Islamic State flags, explosives found in Bondi Beach attacker's vehicle, police say
Dec 16, 2025
Sydney [Australia], December 16: Islamic State (IS) flags and explosives were found in a vehicle belonging to one of the two men who carried out the fatal mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach, police said on Tuesday.
Mal Lanyon, the commissioner of police in the state of New South Wales, said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that two homemade IS flags and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were located in a vehicle belonging to 24-year-old perpetrator Naveed Akram.
He confirmed that both Naveed Akram and his fellow shooter, his 50-year-old father Sajid Akram, had traveled to the Philippines in the weeks prior to the attack on Sunday night that targeted an event celebrating the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
Lanyon said that police are investigating the reason for their travel to the Philippines, but that their trip did not trigger any security alerts in Australia.
Source: Xinhua