Politics
Bondi Beach attacker’s ‘Indian passport’ emerges after Sydney attack
- Indian High Commission issued attacker’s passport in 2022.
- Passport lists Hyderabad, Telangana as place of origin.
- Indian efforts aimed at maligning Pakistan internationally.
An Indian passport of the attacker, Sajid Akram, involved in the Sydney’s Bondi Beach attack during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration, which left at least 15 dead, has emerged, according to Filipino media.
Father and son duo, identified as Sajid Akram and Naveed, opened fire during the Jewish event on December 14, in an attack that shook the nation and intensified fears of rising antisemitism and violent extremism.
The 15 victims ranged from a rabbi who was a father of five, to a Holocaust survivor, to a 10-year-old girl named Matilda Britvan, according to interviews, officials and media reports. Two police officers remained in critical but stable condition in the hospital, New South Wales police said.
According to records obtained by the Philippines’ ABS-CBN News, Naveed had an Australian passport while his 50-year-old father, Sajid, entered the country with an Indian passport.
The Indian High Commission issued Sajid a 10-year passport on February 24, 2022.
The passport, which has now surfaced publicly, lists Hyderabad in the Indian state of Telangana as Sajid Akram’s place of origin and shows an expiry date of February 23, 2032.
Authorities were reportedly aware of the attacker’s Indian citizenship from the first day, yet the incident was allegedly portrayed otherwise, with claims attempting to link the attack to Pakistan, Geo News reported.
Further information revealed that Sajid’s son, Naveed Akram, also holds an Indian passport. Despite this, Indian officials allegedly concealed the facts, allowing local media time to circulate misleading reports that identified the attacker as a Pakistani national.
Following the attack, Indian media outlets were accused of running a disinformation campaign before it became clear the assailant was an Indian citizen.
The effort, according to sources, was aimed at maligning Pakistan internationally, a narrative that collapsed the following day when evidence of the attacker’s Indian nationality became public.
Last year, British newspaper The Guardian noted that Australia expelled two Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) operatives in 2020 over illegal activities, including profiling members of the Indian diaspora.
‘No evidence alleged Bondi gunmen received military training in Philippines’
Meanwhile, the Philippines’ National Security Adviser on Wednesday said there was no evidence indicating that the two suspects involved in the Bondi Beach attack received any form of military training while in the country.
In a statement, Eduardo Ano said that a mere visit to the country does not substantiate allegations of terrorist training, and the duration of their stay would not have permitted any meaningful or structured training.
Ano said the government was investigating the two men’s travel from November 1 to 28 and coordinating with Australian authorities to determine the purpose of the visit, dismissing media reports portraying the southern Philippines as a hotspot for violent extremism as “outdated” and “misleading”.
Immigration records show the pair landed in Manila and travelled to Davao City in Mindanao, a region long-plagued by militancy, before the attack that Australian police say appeared to have been inspired by Daesh.
Quoting the Bureau of Immigration, the Filipino media reported that the father-son duo arrived in the Philippines from Sydney, Australia, on November 1. “Both reported Davao as their final destination,” the BI said.
Based on BI records, the two left the country on November 28 on a connecting flight from Davao to Manila, with Sydney as their final destination.
Philippines’ regional police conduct probe
Separately, the Davao Regional Police said it was investigating reports that the father-son duo visited the region.
Speaking to journalists, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office 11, Maj Catherine Dela Rey, said the multi-agency investigation would try to determine “if ever they arrived in Davao, where did they stay, or the people they met… or if they only passed by Davao or indeed they did not arrive in Davao and stayed in another place.”
The police also assured the public that the Davao region remains peaceful despite being linked to an overseas terror incident. “Overall, the whole Davao region is very peaceful. And we have maintained this status all over the year,” she was quoted as saying.
— With additional input from Reuters
- Iran dismisses US escort plan as counterproductive initiative.
- Dar reiterates diplomacy as only path forward.
- Tehran reviews US response via Pakistani mediators.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday night said talks with the United States were making progress with Pakistan’s “gracious effort,” while cautioning Washington against being drawn into further escalation amid a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement comes after US and Iran launched new attacks in the Gulf on Monday as they wrestled for control over the Strait of Hormuz with duelling maritime blockades, shaking a fragile truce.
US President Donald Trump launched a new effort to get stranded tankers and other ships through the strait, the vital energy-trade chokepoint that has been virtually closed since the US and Israel began attacks on Iran in February, a war that has killed thousands of people across the region.
Trump gave scant details about his new effort, which he called “Project Freedom,” to help stuck ships travel through the strait when he announced it on social media, two days after a legal deadline under US law had passed for him to get authorisation from Congress for the war. Trump told Congress the war was “terminated” and the deadline was moot, a claim disputed by some lawmakers.
It was the first apparent attempt to use military force since last month’s ceasefire announcement to unblock the world’s most important energy shipping route, which Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said can only happen with its permission.
The cost of shipping insurance has also rocketed. For weeks, the US Navy has blockaded Iran’s trade by sea, which Iran says is itself an act of war.
But Trump’s latest move, at least initially, appeared to have backfired, bringing no surge of merchant ship traffic while provoking a promised show of force from Iran, which has threatened to respond to any escalation with new attacks on its neighbours hosting US soldiers. Major shipping companies said they were likely to wait for an agreed end to hostilities before trying to cross the strait.
Meanwhile, Iranian FM Araghchi said Monday’s events showed there was no military solution to the crisis. He said peace talks were progressing with Pakistan’s mediation while warning the US and the UAE against being drawn into a “quagmire by ill-wishers.”
Criticising the US initiative aimed at escorting vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, Araghchi said: “Project Freedom is Project Deadlock.”
Nonetheless, the US military said two US merchant ships made it through the strait, without saying when, with the support of Navy guided-missile destroyers. While Iran denied any crossings had taken place in recent hours, Maersk said the Alliance Fairfax, a US-flagged ship, exited the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz accompanied by the US military on Monday.
The commander of U.S. forces in the region said his fleet had destroyed six small Iranian boats, which Iran also denied. Admiral Brad Cooper said he “strongly advised” Iranian forces to keep clear of U.S. military assets carrying out the mission.
Iranian authorities released a map of what they said was an expanded sea area now under their control, extending far beyond the strait to include long stretches of the UAE’s coastline.
‘Dialogue and diplomacy’
A day earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephonic conversation with his Iranian counterpart, during which both sides discussed the evolving regional situation and Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic efforts.
According to the Foreign Office, Araghchi appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role and mediation efforts, while Dar reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to promoting dialogue and engagement.
He stressed that diplomacy remained the only viable path to achieving lasting peace and stability.
Negotiations between Washington and Tehran have remained stalled since a ceasefire took effect on April 8, with tensions centred on Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following US-Israeli strikes. The move has disrupted global flows of oil, gas and fertiliser, while the United States has responded by imposing a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
Pakistan has emerged as a key intermediary in efforts to revive dialogue, hosting high-level engagements between the two sides in Islamabad last month, though a second round of talks has yet to materialise.
— With additional input from Reuters
- Hunan fireworks factory blast kills 21, injures 61.
- Xi orders thorough probe into deadly factory explosion.
- Nearly 500 rescuers deployed after Hunan explosion.
HONG KONG: A blast at a fireworks factory in China’s Hunan province has killed 21 people and injured 61, prompting President Xi Jinping to call for a thorough investigation, state media reported on Tuesday.
The blast in Hunan’s capital city of Changsha, home to a hub for fireworks manufacturing, occurred on Monday around 4:40pm (0840 GMT), according to reports by CCTV and Xinhua.
Videos on Chinese internet platforms showed thick smoke billowing from a large site with collapsed buildings and debris strewn around the area. Reuters could not verify the footage.
Nearly 500 firefighters, rescuers and medical personnel attended the scene, according to the South China Morning Post.
The blast happened at Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company, media said. Reuters could not find a telephone listing for the company to seek comment.
Xi called for a speedy investigation to determine the cause of the blast and strict accountability for the incident, Xinhua reported.
Last year, China exported $1.14 billion worth of fireworks, more than two-thirds of global sales, data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity shows.
Xi also ordered authorities to strengthen risk screening and hazard control in key industries, enhance public safety and ensure the safety of people’s lives and property.
Last week, he urged a nationwide upgrade in China’s disaster response capacity.
The US Secret Service said on Monday it was on the scene of an officer-involved shooting in Washington in which one person was shot by law enforcement.
“US Secret Service personnel are on the scene of an officer-involved shooting at 15th Street and Independence Avenue in Washington, D.C. One individual was shot by law enforcement; their condition is currently unknown,” the Secret Service said in a statement on X. The White House was briefly locked down on Monday afternoon.
The DC Police Department said police were on the scene of the probe.
“The scene is secure. Avoid the area as roads will be closed for several hours,” police said in a statement.
Law enforcement agents have been on alert in recent days in the US capital following a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner late last month, over which a suspect has been arrested.
This is a developing story, and it is being updated with new developments.
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