The two men accused of committing the Bondi Beach antisemitic terror attack “acted alone”, Australian police have said.
A vehicle of one of the accused had been found with homemade Islamic State (IS) flags but authorities say the father and son were not part of a “broader terrorist cell”.
Fifteen people died and dozens more were injured when gunmen opened fire on more than 1,000 people celebrating the Jewish festival Hanukkah on 14 December.
The bystander hailed as a hero for intercepting and disarming one of the gunmen has told CBS News why he intervened and how he “couldn’t handle” hearing children, men and women screaming.
“Everything in my organs, in my body, in my brain asked me to go and to defend and to save innocent life,” said Ahmed al Ahmed.
“I risked my life for innocent humans”, he added, describing how he jumped on the back of a gunman, hit him and took the gun.
One of the alleged perpetrators, Naveed Akram, faces 59 charges – including 15 counts of murder – while his father, Sajid, was shot dead by police at the scene.
‘Massive numbers’ of police to be deployed for Sydney New Year’s Eve celebrations
Australian PM booed at Bondi Beach vigil a week after deadly terror attack
‘What they’ve seen, few people have ever seen’: Lifeguards honour Bondi Beach victims
Read more:
Two people killed in Joshua car crash were boxer’s friends
Bangladesh’s first female prime minister dies
An investigation into why the two men had spent most of November in the Philippines found “no evidence to suggest they received training or underwent logistical preparation”, Australia Federal Police (AFP) commissioner Krissy Barrett said.
Ms Barrett repeated her belief that they were inspired by IS.
‘Opportunity to show defiance’
Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore said victims of the attack would be commemorated on New Year’s Eve with a minute’s silence and images of a Jewish menorah projected onto the Sydney Harbour bridge.
New South Wales Police said “all available resources” would be used for the event with more than 2,500 officers on duty in Sydney.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Follow our channel and never miss an update
New South Wales premier Chris Minns called on people to attend the traditional fireworks at Sydney Harbour.
“What the terrorists hope is that people crawl up in a ball and don’t go about living their normal lives, but we need to show defiance in the face of this evil and the best way of doing that is to spend some time with your friends and your family on New Year’s Eve on Sydney Harbour,” he said.
“This is an opportunity to live your life and show defiance to that kind of ideology.”
