Sydney (Australia), Dec 16. — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated on Tuesday that the terrorist attack in Bondi was motivated by the ideology of the Islamic State (IS), an extremism of 'hate', and emphasized that, according to preliminary information, the perpetrators acted alone. 'It appears to have been motivated by the ideology of the Islamic State,' Albanese said in an interview with the state ABC network. He described the attack, allegedly perpetrated by a father and son, as a 'meticulous, calculated, and cold-blooded' act that has shocked the country and struck one of Australia's most iconic landmarks. 'That is the goal,' he stated. The Prime Minister noted that investigations, led by the New South Wales Police in conjunction with the Joint Counter Terrorism Team, point to a detailed planning of the attack and, for now, the absence of direct links to other cells. However, he stressed that the investigation remains open with the participation of the Australian Federal Police, the domestic intelligence agency ASIO, and international partners from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. Albanese confirmed that the son, identified as Naveed Akram and currently in a coma, was investigated in 2019 for possible links to the Islamic State, although he was not then considered an active threat. 'ASIO investigated him and he was not subject to continuous monitoring. If there was subsequent radicalization, that is part of what is being analyzed now,' he explained. The father, Sajid, was also interviewed at the time, according to Albanese. The head of the New South Wales Police, Mal Lanyon, confirmed on Tuesday at a press conference that both suspects had traveled to the Philippines in previous months, although he did not state the reason for their trip. Local media reported that they may have received military training in the Asian nation. Authorities reported that in the attacker's vehicle, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, two homemade Islamic State flags were found, as well as improvised explosive devices, according to Commissioner Lanyon, who stressed that the investigation is ongoing to clarify the motives of the attack. 'We continue to work to determine what motivated this tragedy, and it is essential that investigators have the necessary time to do so,' he stated. The Prime Minister stated that the attack had an antisemitic component and defended the measures adopted by his Government to combat hate, including the prohibition of Nazi symbols, the creation of an envoy against antisemitism, a national registry of hate crimes, and the reinforcement of migration controls to detect extremist attitudes. 'We want to eradicate antisemitism. 'It is not who we are as a nation.'
