2 months ago
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Alleged Bondi terror gunman Naveed Akram told family he was going on fishing trip
One of the men alleged to have been involved in a terrorist attack targeting Sydney’s Jewish community is a recently unemployed western Sydney bricklayer who told his family he was going away on holiday.
Naveed Akram, 24, was apprehended at the shooting alongside one other alleged shooter. One of these individuals has died. This masthead understands Akram is not the deceased.
Naveed Akram has been identified as one of the alleged gunmen.
Speaking with this masthead as police surrounded her house in Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s west, Akram’s mother Verena said her son last spoke to family on Sunday morning, hours before the reign of terror that left at least 16 people dead and scores injured.
She said he went with a relative to Jervis Bay for the weekend.
“He rings me up [on Sunday] and said, Mum, I just went for a swim. I went scuba diving. We’re going … to eat now, and then this morning, and we’re going to stay home now because it’s very hot,” Verena said.
Police close a street in Bonnyrigg following a mass shooting in Bondi. Authorities said the police action was linked to the attack.Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong
His mother was unable to identify Akram from a photo from the scene of the shooting, but said she didn’t believe her son could be involved in any violent or extremist activities.
“He doesn’t have a firearm. He doesn’t even go out. He doesn’t mix around with friends. He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t go to bad places … he goes to work, he comes home, he goes to exercise, and that’s it,” she said.
“Anyone would wish to have a son like my son … he’s a good boy.”
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Akram worked as a bricklayer; however, he was laid off about two months ago when the company he worked for became insolvent, and he was looking for work.
While he had many friends during his high school days at Cabramatta High School, Verena said he wasn’t particularly social. She said he didn’t appear to spend a lot of time online. He loved fishing, scuba diving, swimming and exercising.
Akram appeared to be tagged in a 2022 social media post showing he had passed his Koran studies at Al-Murad Institute, which teaches Arabic and Koran studies in Heckenberg, also in western Sydney. The post has since been removed.
His mother is a stay-at-home parent, caring for her elderly mother nearby, while his father owns a fruit and vegetable shop. Akram lived at the property with his parents and younger sister, 22 and brother, 20. The three-bedroom property was bought in 2024. The family previously lived in Cabramatta.
Police are currently on scene at the home. Members of the public have been prevented from entering the area.
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