SYDNEY: The mother of one of the gunmen Naveed Akram involved in the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach has shared details about her family, as police continue to investigate the attack that claimed 15 lives.
Police confirmed on Monday that the two alleged shooters were a father and son. Naveed Akram was apprehended at the scene and rushed to hospital, where he remains in critical but stable condition under police guard. His father, Sajid Akram, who owned a fruit shop, died at the scene.
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated that Sajid arrived in the country on a student visa in 1998, later converting it to a partner visa in 2001, and has since held a resident return visa. Burke added that Sajid’s son, Naveed, is an Australian citizen born in 2001.
Reports stated that the pair informed their family they were heading on a fishing trip to the South Coast. Naveed’s mother, Verena, said her son had gone to Jervis Bay with his father for the weekend, with the last family contact occurring on Sunday morning.
Verena said that her son is an unemployed bricklayer who was laid off approximately two months ago after his employer went insolvent. She noted he had many friends from his time at Cabramatta High School but was not particularly social and did not spend much time online.
A 2022 social media post reportedly showed Naveed tagged in an image celebrating his completion of Holy Quran studies at the Al-Murad Institute in Heckenberg, though the post has since been removed.
Verena said she could not identify her son from photos taken at the shooting scene and expressed disbelief that he could be involved in violent or extremist activity, stating: “He doesn’t have a firearm.”
A man pictured in the 2022 image, whom reports chose not to name, said he lost contact with Naveed in early 2022. He expressed devastation over images of the victims and noted that he and his family were forced to leave their home after receiving death threats.
Verena is a stay-at-home parent caring for her elderly mother nearby. Naveed lived with his parents, a 22-year-old sister, and a 20-year-old brother at the family home in Bonnyrigg, in Sydney’s west. The three-bedroom property was purchased in 2024; the family previously resided in Cabramatta.
Police remain at the Bonnyrigg home, with the area restricted to the public.
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