Prime Minister Anthony Albanese orders a review of police and intelligence powers following a deadly ISIS-inspired shooting at a Sydney beach festival.
SYDNEY: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ordered a review of Australia’s police and intelligence services following a deadly terror attack on Bondi Beach.
The review will examine whether agencies have the necessary powers, structures, and information-sharing arrangements to keep Australians safe.
The announcement comes after two gunmen killed 15 people at a Jewish Hanukkah festival on December 14.
Albanese described the attack as an “ISIS-inspired atrocity” that highlights a rapidly changing security environment.
Gunman Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police during the incident.
His 24-year-old son Naveed, who survived, is under police guard in hospital facing multiple charges including terrorism and 15 murders.
Authorities confirmed the son was investigated for possible radicalisation in 2019 by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
He was assessed at the time as not posing a threat.
His father was also questioned as part of that review but later obtained a gun licence, allowing him to own six rifles.
The pair had recently returned from a four-week trip to the southern Philippines, which is now under investigation.
Albanese said there were “real issues” that needed examination.
“We need to look back at what happened in 2019 when this person was looked at, the assessment that was made,” he told the ABC.
He noted the alleged attackers were not considered persons of interest prior to the attack, which he said made the event “such a shocking event”.
