Tracing Sajid Akram: The Journey of a Suspect in the Australia Mass Shooting

Sajid Akram, involved in a mass shooting in Australia, visited Hyderabad multiple times after leaving India in 1998. His visits were primarily for family purposes. His ties to Hyderabad have been investigated, but there is no evidence of local radicalization. The incident in Sydney was deemed a terrorist attack.

Sajid Akram, the suspect in Australia's recent devastating mass shooting, has visited Hyderabad six times since his migration from India in 1998, according to Telangana DGP B Shivadhar Reddy.

After scrutinizing Akram's Indian passport, the Telangana police conducted a comprehensive inquiry, revealing his birth in Hyderabad and several subsequent visits, particularly for family matters. Notably, Akram revisited the city in 2000, 2004, 2009, 2012, 2016, and most recently in July 2022.

The police clarified that their investigation found no indications of Akram's radicalization in Hyderabad. The shooting, seen as an Islamic State-inspired terrorist act, resulted in 15 casualties during a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, where Akram and his son were the suspects.

(With inputs from agencies.)