New details emerge about alleged Bondi gunman's life in India

Shocked relatives of Sajid Akram in India say he failed to return home after his father died, as new details emerge about the Bondi gunman. 

The 50-year-old and his son Naveed, 24, allegedly shot at crowds of Jewish people celebrating the first day of Hanukkah, killing 15 people and injuring 42.

Sajid, who was born in the southern Indian state of Telangana, was shot dead by police, while his son was taken to hospital where he remains under police guard.

On Tuesday, local police issued a statement revealing new details bout Sajid Akram.

'The family members have expressed no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his radicalisation,' it said. 

'The factors that led to the radicalisation of Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed, appear to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana.' 

The account Akram's family gave to police in Telangana suggested Sajid was estranged from his relatives and failed to return when his father died.

He earned a degree in commerce in Hyderabad, the state capital, before moving to Australia in November 1998, as reported by Reuters. 

He married Venera Grosso, described in the statement as a 'European origin woman', with whom he had Naveed and a daughter - both of whom are Australian citizens. 

'As per information available from his relatives in India, Sajid Akram had limited contact with his family in Hyderabad over the past 27 years,' the statement continued.

'He visited India on six occasions after migrating to Australia, primarily for family-related reasons such as property matters and visits to his elderly parents. 

'It is understood that he did not travel to India even at the time of his father's demise.'

His family lives in 'Zehra Cottage' in the Al Hasnath colony of Hyderabad's Tolichowki area, a middle-class Muslim neighbourhood.

A neighbour, who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, said they had never spoken to the family.

'We heard he (the brother) is a doctor,' they said. 'This is a silent and peaceful colony.

'We have never interacted with them or the family. No one in the colony has any criminal history or has attracted police attention before.'

Read More

BREAKING NEWS
Bondi beach hero Ahmed Al-Ahmed breaks silence from hospital bed with a message for Australia

Telangana police said Akram had 'no adverse record' during his life in India before leaving in 1998.

Australian investigators are probing the pair's alleged links to Islamic extremism after two homemade IS flags were found in a car registered to Naveed at the scene.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed earlier this week that Naveed was previously known to ASIO.

ASIO investigated Naveed in 2019 over alleged links to a Sydney-based IS cell.

Albanese said the six-month probe found 'no evidence' that Naveed or his father had been radicalised.

Sajid, a small business owner, held a gun licence for recreational hunting and belonged to a gun club. Police seized six firearms after the shooting.

On Wednesday, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told ABC Radio Sydney that officers expect to charge Naveed later today.

'He only woke up from a coma yesterday afternoon… our investigators have had to wait for the effects for medication and for him to obtain a legal advisor,' he said.

'I expect that we'll speak to him today.'