Australia: Sydney attackers trained in the country

Milan, 22 December (LaPresse/AP) – The attackers involved in the 14 December attack on Bondi Beach, Sydney, had trained in the use of firearms in an area of the Australian state of New South Wales outside Sydney. This was announced today by the police in a statement, which added that the two began the attack by throwing four improvised explosive devices at the crowd, which did not explode. The shooting, in which 15 people were killed, targeted a celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. The attackers were father and son: Sajid Akram, 50, killed by police, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, who was injured and appeared in court today via video link from a Sydney hospital where he is being treated for an abdominal wound. The devices thrown by the attackers that did not explode were described by police as three aluminium pipe bombs and a tennis ball bomb containing explosives, black powder and steel balls. Naveed Akram has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder against the injured survivors and one count of committing a terrorist act.