A former Australian Federal Police Detective Superintendent has raised serious concerns about whether warning signs were missed in the lead-up to the Bondi Beach terror attack that left 16 people dead.
‘That was the tripwire we missed’: Former AFP boss flags concerns over Bondi killer’s Islamic State links A former counter-terrorism chief has warned that critical warning signs may have been missed before the Bondi massacre, as investigators probe potential Islamic State links to the alleged gunmen.
A former Australian Federal Police Detective Superintendent has raised serious concerns about whether warning signs were missed in the lead-up to the Bondi Beach terror attack that left 16 people dead. Authorities have confirmed they are investigating multiple links between the alleged shooters and the Islamic State, including homemade ISIS flags found in the car used to travel to Bondi and extremist material uncovered during the investigation. Police have also confirmed they are examining propaganda-style material allegedly produced by the pair before Sunday night’s massacre, as well as their movements in the weeks leading up to the attack. It is understood that Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, ASIO, examined the younger Bondi Beach gunman six years ago over his close ties to a Sydney-based Islamic State terrorism cell. Footage from 2019 shows Akram participating in public proselytising activities, though authorities at the time assessed he did not pose an immediate threat. Speaking to Sky News host Peta Credlin, former AFP Detective Superintendent David Craig said it was too simplistic to blame intelligence agencies for failing to predict the actions of the father and son accused of carrying out the attack.”Back in 2019, there may not have actually been a threat. I’ve been a part of these assessments and people work very hard. They know if they get it wrong, people die. In one video, Akram urges: “Allah will reward you for whatever actions you do in his cause. Inshallah, this will save you on the day of judgment when everyone will be asking where’s the hope, this will come to you on the day of judgment.” Several videos were deleted from the Street Dawah Movement YouTube account after The Australian downloaded them. Sixteen people were killed on Sunday night when Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, allegedly opened fire on a crowd of Jewish families attending the Chanukah by the Sea celebration at Bondi Beach. Sajid Akram was shot dead by police at the scene, while his son remains under police guard in hospital. While Mr Craig cautioned against hindsight criticism, he said a trip taken by the pair overseas should have triggered heightened scrutiny from authorities. “When they departed the country, it should have been raised as an alert and they could have been spoken to on the way back, their luggage could have be searched, we would know more about it and that would have been proactive,” he said. “So that was the tripwire that I say we missed because if they were ever a concern that they were related to Islamic State, we should always know if they are leaving the country or their associates are coming here.” Authorities are investigating why the pair travelled to the Philippines weeks before the attack, a destination Mr Craig described as deeply significant in global terrorism networks. Several regions in the southern Philippines have long been associated with Islamist insurgencies and terrorist training camps linked to groups including Islamic State and al-Qaeda. “The southern Philippines has been a hotbed of training for Moro Islamic Liberation Front since the 70s,” Mr Craig said. “Jemaah Islamiyah sent operatives there from Indonesia… Al-Qaeda had training camps there as well. It’s a hot bed of terrorist expertise.” “I don’t know that these two went there to holiday for a month together as father and son. I would like to know what they did there.” Police are examining whether the trip involved contact with extremist figures or training, and whether intelligence agencies should have been alerted when the pair returned to Australia. The former counter-terrorism commander also weighed in on claims Australia’s security agencies are stretched thin, as they monitor hundreds of potential extremists, radicalised youth and recently released terror offenders. “I think that that is a fair statement, but I don’t know what enough resourcing actually looks like,” he said. “If there’s not some criminal advocacy or some acts in preparation of a terrorist attack, there’s no crime for them to investigate, it’s no longer a police matter,” he said. “That gets packaged up and sent to ASIO and then that sits in their lap. Now, there’s a lot of those cases.” Mr Craig said Australia should examine counter-terrorism laws and practices used in the UK, arguing some measures had proven more effective in managing ideological threats before they escalate. “We can certainly look at copying some of the laws in the UK, some of their practises have proven to be very good,” he said. Mr Craig warned that extremist recruiters often operate in legal grey zones, making them difficult to disrupt before violence occurs.
ISIS Crime Bondi Beach Gunman Credlin Naveed Akram Bondi Shooting David Craig
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