Australian Prime Minister: "Sydney Mass Shooting Stemming from IS Extremist Ideology"

IS Ideology Fuels Hatred... Leads to Mass Murder
Suspect Navid Was a Follower of Jihadist Preacher

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated on the 16th (local time) that the mass shooting at a Jewish festival in Sydney, Australia, which claimed the lives of 15 people, appears to have been motivated by the ideology of the Islamic extremist militant group IS.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is visiting the site of the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney on the 15th (local time). Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

In an interview with Australia's public broadcaster ABC Radio that day, Prime Minister Albanese said, "This crime appears to have been motivated by IS ideology." He went on to point out,

"This ideology, which has persisted for more than a decade, has fueled hatred and, in this case, led to preparations for mass murder."

Previously, on the evening of the 14th, Sajid Akram (50) and his son Navid Akram (24) opened fire at a Hanukkah festival event held at Bondi Beach, a famous beach in southeastern Sydney, resulting in the deaths of 15 people.

Prime Minister Albanese revealed that Navid had previously been investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) due to his connection with an IS-related terror plotter who was arrested in Sydney in 2019.

However, he explained, "Two individuals associated with him were indicted and imprisoned, but at the time, he was not considered a primary suspect."

Prime Minister Albanese described the mass shooting as "meticulously planned and cold-blooded," and added that, based on the investigation so far, there do not appear to be any additional suspects beyond the two shooters.

In relation to this, ABC, citing counterterrorism officials, reported that Navid was a follower of Wissam Haddad, a notorious jihadist preacher in Sydney.

Haddad, who runs a place of worship in the Sydney suburbs, is known for delivering violent, anti-Semitic sermons, including those that cite religious texts regarding the killing of Jews.