General

The gunmen accused of a deadly assault on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach last week reportedly threw four unexploded devices at the beginning of their attack, including a “tennis ball bomb,” as per newly released police documents. Naveed Akram, 24, faces multiple charges, including 15 counts of murder, linked to the Hanukkah celebration attack on December 14. After being shot by police during the incident, Akram was released from the hospital on Monday and moved to prison. The second suspect, his father Sajid Akram, was killed during the attack. According to police files, the Akrams recorded a video manifesto in October, sitting in front of the Islamic State group's flag. Authorities claim that they “carefully planned this terrorist attack for many months.” Videos recovered from Naveed's phone indicate that they were motivated by a “violent extremist ideology” associated with the Islamic State. One video features them in front of an Islamic State flag, where they discuss their reasons for the Bondi attack and criticize “the actions of ‘Zionists’.” In this video, Naveed is also said to recite a passage from the Quran in Arabic. Another video allegedly shows the two engaging in firearms training, believed to have taken place in rural New South Wales in October. Police allege that “the Accused and his father can be seen throughout the video firing shotguns and moving tactically.” A temporary order had previously been placed on the fact sheet to protect the identities of the attack survivors, but it was lifted on Monday after a request from media outlets to the New South Wales Local Court, although many survivor names were still not disclosed. CCTV footage from Bondi Beach, captured two days before the attack, allegedly shows the Akrams driving to the area and conducting surveillance.