PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman on Wednesday suggested that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) investigate “growing support” from India for terrorist groups, after an Indian national was identified as a suspect in a recent mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach.
Alleged father-and-son perpetrators, Sajid and Naveed Akram, opened fire on a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing 15 in an attack that shook the nation and intensified fears of rising anti-Semitism and violent extremism.
Sajid, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene, while his 24-year-old son, Naveed, emerged from a coma on Tuesday afternoon after also being shot by police. On Tuesday, it emerged that Sajid was originally from the Indian city of Hyderabad, with police saying his family did not know about his “radical mindset”.
In a post on X, Senator Rehman noted that the attack raised questions about links to New Delhi as Indian and Israeli allegations of Pakistani involvement “were backfiring at warp speed”.
“Perhaps the FATF should also look into growing support from India for terrorist groups operating internationally. The fingerprints are piling up,” she wrote, tagging the anti-terror financing watchdog.
She further wrote that though the suspects were Muslims, the man who disarmed one of the alleged attackers was himself a Muslim immigrant and hailed as a hero by Australian authorities.
“The Bondi attack is also being scaffolded away from its purported intent to terrorise per se, as an identity politics issue,” the senator’s post read.
“It must also be remembered that the many phobias, including a vicious streak of Islamophobia, generated in the wake of this heinous attack, are plain wrong. It is wrong to attack innocent people on any strip of beach or faith, whether that be Bondi or Gaza.”
Earlier today, Naveed Akram was charged with 59 offences, including murder and terrorism, police said.
New South Wales Police said on Wednesday that a man had been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with attempt to murder, as well as a terror offence and other charges.
“Police will allege in court the man engaged in conduct that caused death, serious injury and endangered life to advance a religious cause and cause fear in the community,” it said in a statement.
“Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by ISIS, a listed terrorist organisation in Australia”.
Furthermore, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said earlier today that it was falsely claimed after the Bondi Beach shooting that one of the attackers was from Pakistan, holding “hostile countries” responsible for this campaign.
“When the incident happened, certain media outlets were very quick to state that one of the attackers was from Pakistan and the other one was born in Australia.
“There was no evidence to prove this claim, there was no documentation, and there was no verification of this claim. But somehow, we know that this campaign was launched from hostile countries trying to malign Pakistan,” Tarar said during a media briefing in Islamabad.
