Went for a swim, will eat now: Sydney shooter called mother hours before attack

One of the gunmen involved in the deadly shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney's Bondi Beach spoke to his mother just hours before the attack, telling her he had gone for a swim and was heading out to eat, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Speaking to the news outlet as police surrounded her home in Bonnyrigg in Sydney's west, Verena said her son, Naveed Akram, last called her on Sunday morning. At the time, he was on a weekend trip to Jervis Bay with his father, Sajid Akram.

"He rings me up [on Sunday] 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," she recalled.

Hours later, both Sajid and Naveed opened fire during a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people, including a 10-year-old child, and injuring several others. Australian authorities said the attackers were father and son.

Police killed Sajid Akram, 50, at the scene. Naveed Akram, 24, was wounded during the operation and is being treated in a hospital. He has since been taken into custody.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack as an act of antisemitic terrorism. "What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores," he said.

At the time of the shooting, around 1,000 people had gathered at the beach to mark the start of the eight-day Jewish festival. Officials said the attackers targeted a raised boardwalk area near swimmers, firing long-barrelled weapons for at least 10 minutes before police intervened.

Verena said she was unable to recognise her son from photographs taken at the crime scene and insisted she could not believe he was involved in violence.

"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," she said.

Verena also added that Naveed had been unemployed for about two months after losing his bricklaying job when the company he worked for became insolvent and had been actively looking for work. "Anyone would wish to have a son like my son. He's a good boy," she said.

Officials are still working to establish the motive behind the attack, which has shaken Australia and prompted heightened security around religious sites nationwide.

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