Police say the father and son of Pakistani origin, Naveed Akram and Sajid Akram, used legally owned weapons at a crowded Jewish celebration, while investigators probe intelligence gaps, IS symbolism, explosive threats, and whether existing counter terrorism frameworks failed to prevent one of Australia’s deadliest attacks.
Some reports on social media claimed that Churchgoers retaliated against the attacker and hacked his fingers off. However, the police say that the injury can be accidental as witnesses used force to prevent him from attacking more people.
The mass stabbing incident unfolded at 3.20 pm (local time) on Saturday afternoon (13th April) when a man in an NRL jersey began stabbing shoppers at random, including a woman and her nine-month-old baby.