Sidney, Australia (EFE).- The authorities confirmed on Monday that the perpetrators of Sunday’s terrorist attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney are a 50-year-old man who died after confronting the police and his 24-year-old son, who remains hospitalized under police custody.
Mal Lanyon, head of the New South Wales Police, confirmed at a press conference that two offenders were involved in Sunday’s incident, one has died, and the second is in critical but stable condition in the hospital, a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son.
Over Sunday night, authorities carried out two searches, one in Bonnyrigg and Campsie (both southwest of Sydney), where the attackers allegedly are from, and Campsie, where they were staying at the time of the attack.
Authorities confirmed that they are not looking for additional suspects and that the deceased attacker had held a weapons license for 10 years and owned at least six registered firearms. A total of six weapons were recovered from the attack scene and the Campsie home.
According to a senior security official who spoke with the public broadcaster ABC, one of the alleged perpetrators was identified as Naveed Akram, a Bonnyrigg resident.
As of Monday, Australian authorities continued investigating the terrorist attack that occurred on Sunday, leaving 16 people dead, including a 10-year-old girl, and at least 40 injured, including four minors, according to the latest police update.
The attack occurred around 6:40 pm local time on Sunday when two armed men with rifles opened fire on a crowd gathered in a park near a famous, crowded beach.
14 people died at the scene, and two others, including a 10-year-old girl and a 40-year-old man, died later in the hospital.
According to authorities, the victims, who have not yet been formally identified, range in age from 10 to 87, and five of the injured remain in critical condition.
Lanyon confirmed that the incident occurred in Archer Park, next to Bondi Beach, during a celebration for the start of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which nearly a thousand people attended.
At a press conference on Sunday, Lanyon announced that the police had officially classified the event as a terrorist incident. In addition, he explained that special powers had been activated to ensure the community’s safety. EFE
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