Mother of suspected Bondi shooter says son is ‘a good boy’

Investigators examined evidence recovered from a vehicle linked to the suspects, including explosive devices and an Islamic State flag.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The mother of 24-year-old suspected Bondi Beach terrorist Naveed Akram denied that her son was the shooter, claiming he is a “good boy” who isn’t armed and “doesn’t drink” or “go to bad places.”

Verena Akram told the Sydney Morning Herald the day after the shooting at a Chabad Chanukah event in Bondi Beach, Sydney, that killed at least 15 and wounded dozens of others that her son wasn’t the shooter and doesn’t even own a firearm.

Authorities and witnesses saw Naveed Akram at the scene firing at the crowd along with his father, Sajid, who was shot by law enforcement and died at the scene.

Investigators examined evidence recovered from a vehicle linked to the suspects, including explosive devices and an Islamic State flag.

However, despite the evidence, Verena Akram denied her family was involved in the shooting.

“He doesn’t have a firearm. He doesn’t even go out. He doesn’t mix around with friends. He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t go to bad places … he goes to work, he comes home, he goes to exercise and that’s it,” Verena Akram told the Sydney Morning Herald.

She said her son and his father, Sajid, who had recently returned from a trip to the Philippines, told the family they were on a fishing trip along the Australian coast. Recounting a phone call on Sunday, she said, “He rings me up and said, ‘Mum, I just went for a swim. I went scuba diving. We’re going … to eat now, and then this morning, and we’re going to stay home now because it’s very hot.’”

Verena Akram said she could not recognize her son in images of the shooting and insisted he was innocent. “Anyone would wish to have a son like my son … he’s a good boy,” she said.

Authorities said gunmen opened fire for between 10 and 20 minutes on participants at the beachfront event, forcing hundreds of people to flee across the sand and into surrounding streets.

Victims ranged in age from 10 to 87, according to officials and local media reports. Those killed and injured included men, women and children, among them a rabbi who was a father of five, a Holocaust survivor, a Slovak woman and a 10-year-old girl. About 40 people were taken to hospitals, including two police officers who were listed in serious but stable condition.