ALBAWABA - Australian police have charged alleged Bondi Beach attacker Naveed Akram with terrorism, in addition to 15 counts of murder and a litany of other crimes, on Wednesday, due to the horrific shooting that took place on Sunday, killing 16 peopl,e including one of the gunmen.
"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," New South Wales state police revealed in a statement.
"Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by ISIS, a listed terrorist organisation in Australia," it added, using another name for the Islamic State group. It is worth noting that the police found flags of the Islamic State inside the perpetrator's car.
On the other hand, the Philippines denied on Wednesday that the attackers had gained terrorist training inside the country, one month before the attack, as claimed by the Australian authorities.
"(President Ferdinand Marcos) strongly rejects the sweeping statement and the misleading characterisation of the Philippines as the ISIS training hotspot," presidential spokeswoman Claire Castro said at a press conference.
Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, Sajid Akram, 50, carried out a shooting attack targeting a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney's Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and injuring dozens of others.
The first funerals for some of the 15 people killed in the Bondi Beach attack in Sydney will be held on Wednesday, CNN reported.
