One of the suspects linked to the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack studied religion at an Islamic center in Australia that has connections to other Muslim-run organizations across the country.
Naveed Akram, 24, who carried out the shooting alongside his father at a Hanukkah gathering attended by thousands of Jewish celebrants on Sunday, was previously tagged in a February 2022 social media post, praising him for mastering "all the rules of tajweed"--the proper recitation of the Quran--during his studies at the Al-Murad Institute near Sydney. The post included a photo of the two smiling at the camera in what looked like a library, as Akram proudly held his certificate.
Senseless Attack
"Another one of my dear students, Naveed Akram, passing the Iqra books and tajweed this morning, perfecting his all the rules of tajweed," Adam Ismail, head of the institute, said in the since-deleted Facebook post.
The suspected shooter had previously come under investigation in 2019 by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Australia's equivalent of the FBI, over possible terror connections, according to ABC.
"He was examined on the basis of being associated with others, and the assessment was made that there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday, CNN reported.
ASIO believed Akram and his father, Sajid, 50, had pledged allegiance to ISIS before the attack, and terrorism investigators reportedly found an ISIS flag in their vehicle, according to sources cited by the ABC.
The Al-Murad Institute has since taken down its website and all social media accounts.
Ismail, a former teacher at the institute, said he lost contact with Akram in early 2022. He now claims that the deadly shooting has led to death threats against him and his family, forcing them to leave their home, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
"I am devastated by the images of the victims in Bondi," he told the newspaper.
From Teacher to Terrorist
While running and teaching at the Al-Murad Institute, Ismail also works as a mentor at 5 Before 5 Solutions, an Australian organization offering counseling and Islamic youth development programs, according to its website.
His profile mentions that he works in the Youth Refuge and Rehabilitation sector, supporting people "both young and old" who are dealing with trauma, mental health challenges, and homelessness.
Akram is an Australian-born citizen, while his father, 50, came to Australia in 1998 on a student visa, which later changed to a partner visa in 2001, Australia's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told reporters on Monday.
Burke added that the father, who was shot and killed at the scene during a police shootout, had traveled abroad three times since arriving, returning each time on a resident return visa.
The attack unfolded during the Chanukah by the Sea event at Sydney's famous beach, where around 1,000 people had gathered.
Armed with what appeared to be shotguns and a bolt-action rifle, the father-and-son duo killed at least 15 people, aged 10 to 87—most of whom are believed to be Jewish—and injured another 40.
Screams rang out amid the gunfire, which lasted about 10 terrifying minutes, until 43-year-old fruit seller Ahmed Al-Ahemd bravely approached Akram and tackled him to the ground.
While Sajid was shot and killed by police at the scene, Akram was critically injured and taken to a hospital. Authorities say he is expected to face charges over the terrorist attack targeting Jewish people.
The horrific rampage marks the deadliest mass shooting in Australia since the 1996 Port Arthur tragedy.
