The deadly terrorist attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach that officials said targeted Jewish people was "motivated by Islamic State ideology," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday morning local time.
The big picture: Albanese said in an interview there's "no evidence" that the father and son suspected of killing at least 15 people and wounding over 40 others in the shooting were part of a "terrorist cell," but it seems they became "radicalized" and inspired by ISIS.
- Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and two "homemade" ISIS flags were found in a car registered to suspect Naveed Akram, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said at a Tuesday briefing.
- Investigators are examining why the 24-year-old and his 50-year-old father Sajid Akram traveled to the Philippines last month, per Lanyon.
Zoom in: Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the younger man was investigated in 2019, but he was "not seen at that time to be a person of interest."
- He told ABC's Chris Taylor the focus of the investigation by Australia's spy agency, ASIO, was on others.
- "Now, whether he was radicalized further after that, what the circumstances are, that's the subject of further investigation," Albanese added.
Of note: Taylor asked Albanese whether he believed he'd "done enough to counteract antisemitism" in Australia. "We're doing what we can," Albanese replied.
- "It would appear that this was motivated by Islamic State ideology," he said. "The ideology that has been around for more than a decade that led to this ideology of hate, and in this case, a preparedness to engage in mass murder."
- Albanese said his government is "working as hard as we can" on combating antisemitism. "But antisemitism, of course, has been around for a very long period of time — that's the point," he added.
- "Islamic State is an ideology that, tragically, over the last decade, particularly since 2015, has led to a radicalization of some people to this extreme position, and it is a hateful action."
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Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional details, including comment from New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon.
