Australia’s home affairs minister, Tony Burke, says he has “full confidence” in the nation’s domestic intelligence agency amid scrutiny over how a father and son accused of carrying out the Bondi attack were able to travel overseas without raising alarms.
Burke said he had reviewed the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation’s handling of 24-year-old Naveed Akram, charged with 59 offences including 15 counts of murder, since he first came to attention in 2019 for alleged extremist associations. Speaking to the ABC, Burke said he stood by the decisions made, stressing they spanned multiple governments and should not be politicised.
The comments come as the Bondi Jewish community prepares for further funerals for the 15 victims killed. Seventeen of the 38 injured remain in hospital, one critically.
Authorities in the Philippines confirmed Akram and his father, Sajid, travelled there in November, spending four weeks in Davao. Burke declined to say whether the trip triggered intelligence alerts, citing security sensitivities.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the attack as “pure evil” at a memorial service, urging national unity and support for Jewish Australians. Burke also said intelligence agencies have more resources than ever to counter extremist threats.
