The perpetrators of the Sydney terror attack that killed 15 people on Bondi Beach on December 14 trained outside the city for the attack and prepared a video statement, the Crown Court has heard.
Documents presented to the Sydney court by police show that 24-year-old Naveed Akram and his 50-year-old father Sajid “carefully planned the attack for months, training and making explosive devices and ISIS flags“. This is supported by photos and videos found on the attackers' phones. “A video, dated late October, shows the defendant and his father in a rural area during a target shooting. The footage shows them firing rifles and moving in a tactical manner“, the case file says.
Police said that upon arriving at the scene of the attack, the two “threw four improvised explosive devices into the crowd, which did not detonate“. Later, during a search of the house rented by the terrorists before the attack, police found weapons and ammunition, as well as bomb-making equipment and several copies of the Koran.
The court was also shown a video in which the terrorists “expound their political and religious views and, apparently, summarize their arguments justifying the attack“. “The men sit in front of an image of the flag of the terrorist group “Islamic State“, holding long-barreled firearms. One of them reads a passage from the Quran in Arabic... and then makes a series of statements about the motives for the attack and condemns the actions of the Zionists“, the police documents say.
It was previously reported that police in the Australian state of New South Wales had laid 59 charges against 24-year-old Naveed Akram, including 15 charges of murder and committing a terrorist act.
Australian street artist Jarrod Grech has created a mural in the center of Melbourne depicting Ahmed al-Ahmed, the man who disarmed the terrorist who attacked people in Sydney.
He posted a video of the creation of the mural on his Instagram page.
The street artist's drawing depicts the face and shoulders of a 43-year-old Syrian man in a hospital bed, with the words “True” written in large letters underneath. Blue“. This phrase, a variation of “True Blue Aussie“, is used by Australians to describe those they consider to be true Australians, possessing qualities such as loyalty, honesty, camaraderie and resilience.
Earlier, Australian media published an online video showing a man disarming a terrorist who was shooting people by running after him and grabbing his weapon. The man was later revealed to be Ahmed al-Ahmed, a 43-year-old Syrian resident of Sydney and owner of a small shop. He suffered several wounds to his shoulder during the fight with the terrorist and was hospitalized.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese later visited the man in hospital, thanked him for his courage and called him a “true Australian hero“. Australian Governor-General Samantha Mostyn, who also visited Al-Ahmed in hospital, conveyed the gratitude of King Charles III of Great Britain to him.
Meanwhile, Sydney authorities have begun removing flowers and candles from the area in front of the Bondi Beach pavilion to erect a permanent memorial at the site of the December 14 terrorist attack, The Sydney Morning Herald reported, citing a Waverley City Council representative.
“Discussions with the Jewish community on this project will take place soon, but we already have numerous suggestions on how to honor the memory of those who died in this unspeakable tragedy“, the city council representative said.
It is noted that the work “to dismantle the makeshift memorial“ will be carried out in collaboration with community representatives and in a way that “preserves the memories of how people have paid tribute to the victims“. “The Jewish Museum will collect postcards and other items left in memory of the victims. Flower arrangements will be disposed of with the utmost respect and care, and all toys will be donated to those in need or willing to receive them,“ the council stressed.