Anonymous ID: 3042d1 Feb. 9, 2026, 12:02 a.m. No.24235848   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5852 >>8794 >>8798 >>3442 >>4532

>>24156844

>>24210107

>>24231295

>>24189402

>>24193580

Taylor backs Coalition revamp and explores a spill against Ley this week

 

Paul Sakkal and Nick Newling - February 8, 2026

 

1/2

 

Liberal leadership hopeful Angus Taylor has endorsed the Coalition reunion as his allies weigh a move against Opposition Leader Sussan Ley this week with a woman as Taylor’s running mate.

 

Ley and Nationals leader David Littleproud backed down on Sunday from previously hardline stances as they revived the Liberal-National alliance after a bitter 17-day split that exposed the pair’s antagonistic relationship and clashes over policy.

 

As first reported by this masthead on Saturday, Littleproud agreed to a six-week suspension for rebel Nationals who crossed the floor over hate crimes laws introduced last month following the Bondi terror attack. Ley watered down the suspension from six months.

 

The Liberal leader signalled she would quickly move to fight off One Nation and consolidate the centre-right with a plan to cut migration as she tried to project confidence she could cling on to power.

 

“I am very confident of the overwhelming support of my party room,” she said on Sunday. “They elected me nine months ago to lead. I said then I was up for the job.”

 

Liberal MPs who wanted distance from the Nationals were frustrated by Ley’s decision to make a deal after Littleproud blew up the Coalition in January, defying the Liberal position on hate crimes and setting off the crisis.

 

Taylor’s backers had been pushing Ley to reunite the parties, but on Sunday cast the truce as fragile and argued another set of dire polls could convince them to launch a leadership tilt as soon as this week. Some fear Taylor would look indecisive if he waited until March to run.

 

“I’m happy the Coalition is back together,” Taylor said on Sunday afternoon. He declined to comment on the party leadership days after he made clear in a 2GB interview on Friday that he would let Ley know if he lost faith in her, triggering a likely resignation from shadow cabinet.

 

Littleproud, meanwhile, said a new written agreement spelling out party disputes over policies would avoid the political divisions and ugly public stoushes between the leaders that dominated headlines for almost three weeks.

 

“The level of maturity we’ve been able to show to get to this level is important because I think we future-proof the Coalition into ensuring that we get the best outcomes,” Littleproud said, even as he failed to deny a hostile phone-call in which he called on Ley to resign in January.

 

The Nationals leader said on January 22 that his MPs “cannot be part of a shadow ministry under Sussan Ley”. His U-turn was sparked by stern conversations with allies in which they urged him to get a deal done, with leadership rivals circling, including outspoken senator Matt Canavan, who had already tried to unseat Littleproud last May.

 

Poor Liberal Party polling continues to fuel leadership speculation, but Ley believes she will not be challenged this week as senators conduct estimates committee sessions, taking them away from normal party meetings.

 

“She thinks she’s got momentum after the reformation of the Coalition,” one of her allies said.

 

Countering that confidence, Ley’s backers are less bullish in private talks with other MPs, arguing she deserves more time in the job rather than emphasising her credentials as the right leader for the times.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 3042d1 Feb. 9, 2026, 12:04 a.m. No.24235852   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>24235848

 

2/2

 

The reunification might add momentum to the case for change because it means Taylor will not be seen to be giving in to Littleproud. Also working in Taylor’s favour is that Ley is now unable to offer half-a-dozen new frontbench positions and pay rises to Liberal backbenchers as was planned if she were appointing a Liberal-only shadow cabinet.

 

But Taylor’s camp is wary of appearing opportunistic if it moves to topple Ley so soon after she repaired a schism that could have consolidated Labor gains for years. And several MPs are unconvinced by claims that Taylor has secured majority support to force a spill.

 

Former prime minister John Howard, one of many party elders who pushed the leaders to sort it out, said Ley must turn her focus to immigration.

 

“I congratulate Sussan Ley and David Littleproud for having restored the Coalition,” he said. “Decades have told us that a strong coalition between our two parties delivers good outcomes for the Australian people. The next challenge for the parties is the enunciation of clear policies. One of these must be that of immigration.”

 

The Coalition is reformed immediately, with Littleproud and deputy Kevin Hogan sitting in the shadow cabinet from this week. In his offer to Ley on Friday, Littleproud wanted the Coalition to formally reunite in March, just as the rebel senators finished their suspensions. The delay would have allowed the Nationals to spend the next week in parliament pushing their own policies and undermining Ley, heightening the risk of a leadership ballot in the Liberal Party.

 

If Taylor’s camp does not force a spill in Tuesday’s party room meeting, his backers could call for a ballot later in the week.

 

Taylor is aware that the party’s poor reception from women voters might be damaged further if he moves on Ley, the party’s first female leader.

 

His supporters are mulling several options – including Victorian senator Jane Hume, communications spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh and shadow cabinet secretary Zoe McKenzie – to run as his deputy if he were to create a joint ticket. Tim Wilson and Andrew Hastie are also in the running, with Wilson viewed as a possible shadow treasurer and Hastie believed to be open to less-high-profile portfolios such as finance or industry.

 

Leader-deputy joint tickets are common in Liberal Party history and Taylor’s call to run with Jacinta Nampijinpa Price backfired in May when he lost to Ley.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/liberals-and-nationals-have-reunited-as-the-coalition-after-a-17-day-split-20260208-p5o0fk.html

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtHjKttQj28

Anonymous ID: 3042d1 Feb. 9, 2026, 12:09 a.m. No.24235860   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9801 >>4396

>>24006040

>>24018718

>>24205837

>>24205841

Queensland moves to ban pro-Palestine slogan ‘from the river to the sea’ under sweeping new hate speech laws

 

Laws to be introduced this week include up to two years in prison for distributing, displaying or reciting prohibited phrases to harass or offend.

 

Benita Kolovos - 8 Feb 2026

 

Queensland could become the first state in Australia to outlaw the phrase “from the river to the sea”, under sweeping new hate speech reforms announced by the state government.

 

The premier, David Crisafulli, announced the proposed laws on Sunday, ahead of their introduction to parliament on Tuesday, describing them as a direct response to the Bondi terror attack, in which 15 people were killed during a Hanukah celebration.

 

The legislation includes a new offence prohibiting the public distribution, publication, display or recitation of proscribed phrases, where the conduct is intended to cause menace, harassment or offence.

 

The attorney general, Deb Frecklington, confirmed “globalise the intifada” and “from the river to the sea” would be included as proscribed phrases.

 

“These sayings have no place in Queensland, when they are used to incite hatred, offence and menace,” she said.

 

In New South Wales, a parliamentary inquiry last month recommended banning the phrase “globalise the intifada” when it is used to incite hatred, harassment, intimidation or violence.

 

The phrase, from the Arabic word for uprising or “shaking off”, is used by pro-Palestine supporters in reference to uprisings against Israel that began in 1987 and 2000. But many in the Jewish community have said it is a call to violence against them.

 

The NSW inquiry didn’t recommend banning “from the river to the sea” – a phrase referring to the land between the Jordan River, which borders eastern Israel, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

 

Critics of the slogan argue that it calls for the elimination of Israel, while some of its supporters – including Palestinian-American writer Yousef Munayyer – argue it supports Palestinians living in “their homeland as free and equal citizens”.

 

Frecklington said the phrase was “offensive” and designed to incite hatred.

 

“I don’t even like to say it out loud,” she said.

 

Anyone found distributing, publishing, displaying or reciting a prohibited phrase would face a maximum penalty of two years in prison under the laws.

 

The government will also introduce a new offence for impeding or harassing people attending religious services, carrying a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment.

 

Penalties for assaulting or threatening a person officiating a religious ceremony will increase from two to five years, while wilful damage to a place of worship will carry the toughest maximum sentence of seven years.

 

An existing ban on the display of certain symbols, such as swastikas, will be extended to include Nazi emblems, the Hamas and Islamic State flags, and the Hezbollah emblem. The maximum penalty for displaying prohibited symbols will increase from six months to two years’ imprisonment.

 

Frecklington said the government consulted with the Crime and Corruption Commission, the Human Rights Commission and Queensland police when drafting the legislation.

 

Crisafulli said it was a “considered”, “calm” and “detailed” response to the Bondi attack.

 

“We didn’t take a kneejerk reaction,” he said. “As a result, the legislation that will be tabled in parliament on Tuesday will be the best of its kind in the country.”

 

Crisafulli – who has said his state would not participate in a national gun buyback – said the government would announce how it would be “taking action on guns against terrorists and criminals” on Monday afternoon.

 

The reforms were welcomed by the president of the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, Jason Steinberg, who said it would make the Jewish community feel safer and help them rebuild the confidence to live their lives openly.

 

“For the past two and a half years, the Jewish community has endured unprecedented levels of hate, intimidation and fear, and the reforms send a clear message that antisemitism and hate have no place in Queensland,” Steinberg said.

 

“This bill goes beyond words and delivers real, practical protections for our community and for all people targeted by hate.”

 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/feb/08/queensland-pro-palestine-slogan-ban-proposed-hate-speech-laws-ntwnfb

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKZb9kX0sAo

Anonymous ID: 3042d1 Feb. 9, 2026, 12:38 a.m. No.24235918   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5920 >>5929 >>0047 >>0141 >>0177 >>0199 >>4396

>>23978158

>>24210131

>>24223346

>>24227931

>>24231304

Court rejects challenge to sweeping police powers for Israeli president visit

 

Michaela Whitbourn - February 9, 2026

 

1/2

 

The Supreme Court has rejected an urgent legal challenge to sweeping powers granted to NSW Police for Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia, in a blow to pro-Palestine protesters.

 

Supreme Court Justice Robertson Wright made orders on Monday, less than an hour before a planned protest at Sydney’s Town Hall. He will deliver reasons at a later date.

 

“My conclusions have not been reached easily or lightly,” he said.

 

The NSW government quietly declared Herzog’s visit a major event on Friday under legislation typically used to manage crowds at large sporting events.

 

It triggered wide-ranging powers for NSW Police, including to shut down parts of a “major events area” in the Sydney CBD and eastern suburbs, to limit the number of people who can remain in the area, and to conduct searches.

 

The major event declaration was not announced publicly until Saturday.

 

The extra powers, which run for four days from Monday, do not explicitly ban any protest. However, they expose participants to an additional layer of criminal sanctions if they fail to comply with reasonable police directions.

 

A pro-Palestinian protester who yelled “shame” and “free Palestine” as Herzog’s motorcade departed from Bondi Pavilion on Monday was issued a move on direction by police under the major event powers while the court challenge was under way. He complied with the direction.

 

It is the first time the powers have been used solely for the visit of a foreign dignitary.

 

The Palestine Action Group (PAG) has planned a demonstration against Herzog’s visit at Town Hall from 5.30pm on Monday. It has estimated about 5000 people will attend.

 

That location is within the “major events area” declared by the state government, giving police broad powers to prevent demonstrators gathering at Town Hall if they decide to act.

 

Palestine Action Group spokesman Josh Lees said the court’s decision did not alter the group’s plans.

 

“We have been talking to police, and we will continue to talk to police and call on them to facilitate the march that we would like to have from Town Hall to NSW Parliament,” he said.

 

“But at the same time, we’re not seeking any confrontation with police. Obviously, it means that police do have even more draconian powers for the next few days in Sydney, which we believe they should not have.”

 

PAG challenged the declaration in court.

 

Peter Lange, SC, acting for the group, told the Supreme Court during an urgent hearing on Monday that the presidential visit was “not sufficient to amount to an event” for the purposes of the major event legislation.

 

Herzog arrived in Sydney on Monday morning and is also expected to visit Canberra and Melbourne as part of a visit arranged after the Bondi Beach massacre on December 14. The attack, which targeted the Jewish community, killed 15 people and injured dozens more on the first night of Hanukkah.

 

The visit prompted pro-Palestine activists to prepare for a nationwide day of protests to coincide with Herzog’s arrival. A United Nations commission of inquiry found Herzog and other Israeli officials were “liable to prosecution for incitement to genocide” for comments made after the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas.

 

PAG argued the government acted outside its legal powers in making the major event declaration, and that it was made for an “improper purpose”.

 

The legislation says the government “may not declare … [a] political demonstration or protest to be a major event”.

 

The declaration made by the government described the event as the presidential visit.

 

Barrister Felicity Graham, also acting for PAG, argued the declaration was made for the improper purpose of shutting down protest when the laws were aimed at facilitating major events in NSW.

 

There was “no evidence” Herzog intended to visit Town Hall or NSW Parliament where protesters wanted to march, Graham said.

 

“They could put barricades up and stop anyone entering Town Hall,” Graham said of the potential use of police powers. “They can stop the protest happening at all.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 3042d1 Feb. 9, 2026, 12:39 a.m. No.24235920   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>24235918

 

2/2

 

Justice Wright said during the hearing that the government’s comments when the major events declaration was announced appeared to suggest its aim was “not suppression of protest, but keeping two groups separate”.

 

The government said in a media release on Saturday that “we cannot allow a situation where mourners, visitors and protesters are brought into close proximity in a way that risks conflict, violence or public disorder”.

 

Wright said the declaration was also made in “the context of what occurred on the 14th of December where, it appears, there are elements in Australian society who think that it is appropriate to take weapons and shoot various people who are participating in a religious celebration”.

 

He said the fact Hyde Park was excluded from the area covered by the additional police powers appeared to indicate “an attempt to balance both the interests of protesters and their legitimate rights to express their views … and also, then, the legitimate rights and interests of those who are participants in the visit”.

 

Brendan Lim, SC, acting for the government, said Herzog was “the Israeli head of state, not head of government”, and the context of his visit was relevant.

 

Lim said the carve-out in the restrictions to allow a protest in Hyde Park and a march to Belmore Park in the city’s south “defeats the alleged improper purpose”.

 

There was evidence the protest would “intercept with the president’s visit”, Lim said. Town Hall was close to an event on Herzog’s itinerary this evening at the International Convention and Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour, he said.

 

Had it been successful, the challenge to the major events powers would only have removed one source of potential criminal liability for protesters.

 

The challenge covered one of two layers of restrictions currently in place in NSW.

 

The Palestine Action Group has also launched a legal challenge to separate public assembly restrictions, introduced following the Bondi tragedy.

 

Those restrictions were extended last week, and they remove protections against criminal charges for protesters who block traffic or pedestrians on unauthorised protest routes. The protesters’ preferred route is not authorised.

 

The challenge to those restrictions will not be heard until after the presidential visit.

 

Police have urged the group to consider an alternative march route from Hyde Park to the city’s south, but protesters said an important aspect of the protest was being visible outside Town Hall and proceeding to NSW Parliament.

 

Police have not authorised that route. Outside of the court process, PAG has asked police to exercise their discretion to allow the march to proceed on that route.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/court-rejects-challenge-to-sweeping-police-powers-for-israeli-president-visit-20260209-p5o0md.html

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsTu03xtXJA

Anonymous ID: 3042d1 Feb. 9, 2026, 12:45 a.m. No.24235929   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5932 >>0047 >>0141 >>0177 >>0199 >>3830 >>3835 >>8810 >>8834 >>4411 >>4396

>>23978158

>>24235918

We warned of surging antisemitism before Bondi attack, says Israeli president

 

Matthew Knott and Amber Schultz - February 9, 2026

 

1/2

 

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has accused pro-Palestinian protesters of seeking to undermine Israel’s existence as he used his arrival in Australia to express frustration that more was not done to tackle antisemitism in the lead-up to the worst terror attack in Australian history.

 

Herzog visited Bondi Beach after arriving in Sydney on Monday morning for his first stop on a contentious four-day visit that has already attracted large protests in capital cities across the country and prompted police to launch a massive security operation.

 

The Israeli head of state said he had warned before the Bondi terror attack that the rise of antisemitism around the world, including in Australia, following the October 7 attacks and subsequent war in Gaza could become deadly as he called for tougher action to tackle anti-Jewish prejudice.

 

Pro-Palestinian protesters - including some calling for Herzog’s arrest and many chanting “free Palestine” - gathered in central Sydney and Melbourne for large planned protests on Monday evening, as Herzog prepared to address members of Sydney’s Jewish community at an event on Monday night.

 

The Palestine Action Group lost its bid to overturn the NSW government’s designation of Herzog’s as a “major event”, which grants police extra powers, on Monday afternoon.

 

Justice Robertson Wright dismissed the protest group’s case, saying his conclusions had not been reached easily or lightly.

 

Speaking at Sydney’s Town Hall, former Australian of the Year Grace Tame labelled Herzog a “war criminal”.

 

Using a phrase set to be banned in Queensland under new laws, she said: “From Gadigal to Gaza, globalise the intifada”.

 

Herzog laid a wreath and stones transported from Jerusalem at the Bondi Pavilion and met survivors of the attack and relatives of those who died. He was standing just metres from the spot where two gunmen shot 15 people dead at a Hanukkah celebration on December 14.

 

“One thing has become clear: hatred that starts with the Jews never ends with the Jews,” Herzog said, surrounded by heavy security including police helicopters circling the sky and sniper guards on alert in nearby buildings.

 

“This is why the current rise in antisemitism around the world is a global emergency, and we must all act to fight against it.”

 

Asked whether he had a message for the protesters outraged by the deaths of more than 70,000 people in Gaza and who planned to participate in demonstrations during his visit, he said: “These demonstrations, in most cases, what you hear and see comes to undermine and de-legitimise our right, my nation’s right [to] its mere existence.”

 

Herzog, whose position is largely ceremonial, said Israel “did not seek that war on October 7. Our nation was attacked terribly, and people were butchered, murdered, raped and burnt and abducted.”

 

Several survivors of the Bondi attack and relatives of the victims have accused the Albanese government of failing to do enough to respond to their warnings of surging antisemitism in the lead-up to the December 14 massacre.

 

“These frustrations were shared by many, many of us, including myself,” Herzog said.

 

“I’ve seen this great surge all over the world, and I’ve seen it in many countries, including Canada, Great Britain, the United States and Australia, all English-speaking countries, and I’ve alerted way in advance, as well as many others.

 

“And that is why I understand this frustration clearly, and I hope the steps that were recently taken will bring change.”

 

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told parliament that Herzog was an “honoured and welcome guest” in Australia, saying that “his presence in Australia today is very significant for our nation, and particularly for our nation’s Jewish community”.

 

Responding to a question from independent MP Sophie Scamps about whether Australia would sanction Israeli politicians over moves to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, Marles said Herzog’s visit was “utterly consistent with the position that this government holds in supporting a two-state solution”.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 3042d1 Feb. 9, 2026, 12:47 a.m. No.24235932   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>24235929

 

2/2

 

Echoing comments he made in an interview with this masthead before leaving Israel, Herzog said: “It is important for me to say that I’ve come here in goodwill … I’m here to express solidarity, friendship and love, and I also believe that this is an opportunity to upgrade our relations with Israel and Australia because we are two democracies that share values together, and we are confronting the roots of evil from all over the world, and we should do so together.”

 

Paying tribute to the first responders who rushed to help the injured, he said: “Suddenly, here, on Bondi, surfboards became trenches and stretchers as extraordinary ordinary people ran into the danger and saved innocent lives.”

 

Yvonne, a survivor of the Bondi attack who attended Monday’s event, said she believed Herzog’s visit was an important show of solidarity with the Jewish community in Australia.

 

“It shows us that we aren’t alone,” said the Sydney mother, who asked that her surname not be used. She was waiting to buy a doughnut with her young son and talking to a friend when the sound of bullets rang out at Bondi on December 14. She dislocated her hip while running from the gunmen and is still walking with crutches.

 

NSW Premier Chris Minns attended the event, alongside the leaders of some of the country’s largest Jewish organisations including Zionist Federation of Australia co-chief executive Jeremy Leibler and Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin.

 

Ryvchin said he hoped Herzog’s visit would “lift the spirits of a pained community, and we hope it will lead to a much-needed recalibration of bilateral relations between two historic allies”.

 

“When we were targeted for being Jewish, to have the solidarity of the Jewish world, as represented here by the president of the Jewish state, it means a great deal,” he said.

 

Police moved on one protester, who yelled “shame” as Herzog departed from Bondi Pavilion.

 

The 25-year-old Bondi local said he didn’t plan on protesting, but was overcome with emotion.

 

“It was not hateful, it was an empathetic human reaction to seeing an agitator in my suburb,” he said.

 

Josh Lees of Palestine Action Group Sydney responded to Herzog’s arrival by saying: “The streets of Sydney belong to the people, not to Chris Minns or the Israeli president. We will not be silenced or intimidated. Huge numbers will protest in Sydney to show that we stand against genocide.”

 

The progressive Jewish Council of Australia, which opposed Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza, published an open letter in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Monday signed by more than 1000 Jewish Australians opposing Herzog’s visit.

 

“Welcoming an alleged war criminal in the aftermath of the Bondi massacre betrays Jewish communities, multicultural Australia and everyone who stands for Palestinian human rights and international law,” the letter said.

 

A United Nations-sponsored inquiry last year accused Israel of genocide in Gaza and found Herzog had “incited the commission of genocide” by saying “an entire nation” of Palestinians bore responsibility for the October 7 attacks in a 2023 press conference.

 

Herzog has dismissed this accusation as “another lie and another distortion of the facts”, saying it ignored remarks from the same press conference in which he said he supported international law and opposed the killing of innocent people.

 

Herzog will also visit Canberra and Melbourne during his visit, which will include meetings with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/we-warned-of-surging-antisemitism-before-bondi-attack-says-israeli-president-20260209-p5o0ku.html

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eskO7iLmxI

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G59452V5oFI

Anonymous ID: 3042d1 Feb. 9, 2026, 1:03 a.m. No.24235950   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5952 >>2249 >>3880 >>3888 >>4408

>>23978158

>>23981415

ASIO cautions ABC over Bondi Four Corners program

 

JOANNA PANAGOPOULOS - 8 February 2026

 

1/2

 

Australia’s intelligence agency has issued a rare public rebuttal ahead of ABC’s Four Corners program, claiming apparent suggestions of intelligence failings related to the Bondi Beach terrorists were based on the “uncorroborated claims” of a “disgruntled source”.

 

The Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation cautioned the ABC, saying “we will reserve our right to take further action” if it “chooses to publish claims it cannot substantiate – particularly ones it has been told are untrue”.

 

The second episode of the ABC’s two-part investigation into the Bondi massacre is set to “examine whether there were failures in intelligence and counter-terrorism” ahead of the mass shooting, according to a promo from February 3. It also investigates “the secret lives of the terrorists”.

 

Naveed Akram and his father Sajid, who allegedly murdered 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on December 14, had an Islamic State flag displayed on the front windscreen of their car and filmed an ISIS-inspired video ahead of the attack, police claim.

 

On Sunday, ASIO published to its website a statement it provided to Four Corners in response to questions it received. The program is set to air on Monday evening.

 

In that statement, ASIO refuted apparent questioning about the investigation into Naveed Akram in 2019 and his embrace of violent extremism, saying the ABC’s claims appeared “to be based on the uncorroborated claims of a ­single, unreliable and disgruntled source”. The Australian understands this informant’s role with ASIO came to an abrupt end some time ago.

 

The intelligence agency said it had investigated Akram in 2019 and assessed “he did not adhere to or intend to engage in violent extremism at that time”. It added: “We stand by our assessment at that point in time.”

 

The antisemitism royal commission will examine intelligence failures and the government’s wider counter-terrorism settings.

 

“The claims Four Corners is making were investigated at the time and found to be unsubstantiated,” the statement from ASIO reads. “The ABC’s source mis-identified Naveed Akram. That is, the source claimed Naveed Akram said and did things that were actually said and done by an entirely different person.

 

“To be clear, Four Corners’ source mis-identified Naveed Akram, and therefore the associated claims are untrue.”

 

ASIO claimed “this source also has a track record of making statements that are untrue”.

 

“As another example, it is false to claim ASIO received intelligence about Sajid Akram being part of a group that discussed a plan to establish a pro-ISIS community in (Turkey). This claim is untrue.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 3042d1 Feb. 9, 2026, 1:05 a.m. No.24235952   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>24235950

 

2/2

 

An ABC spokesperson said: “Four Corners spoke to numerous people and provides a number of sources of information for a detailed picture of the Akrams’ actions and associations in the years leading up to the Bondi attack.”

 

The intelligence agency also said Four Corners’ claim that Akram “was ‘a close associate’ of known terrorists is false”.

 

It was reported by numerous publications in December that Akram was associated with the Street Dawah Movement after he was seen in videos in 2019 proselytising and handing out pamphlets with the street-preaching group, and that other members of an Islamic State cell had attended its events. He was also understood to be a frequent worshipper at the Al Madina Dawah Centre – the prayer hall linked to radical jihadist preacher Wissam Haddad.

 

ASIO said in its statement: “There is a significant difference between attending a prayer centre with a large gathering of people and being a ‘close associate’ of known terrorists. This claim is untrue.” ASIO also refuted apparent claims that “any resourcing decision” at the organisation “increased the likelihood of the Bondi attack”, saying this was “false, irresponsible and demonstrates profound ignorance of ASIO’s prioritisation frameworks and enduring investment in counter terrorism”.

 

“Tragically, ASIO did not know what the perpetrators of the Bondi attack were planning – or indeed that they were planning anything,” the statement reads. “This is a matter of grave regret. It weighs on us heavily. But that does not mean additional resourcing would have prevented the attack or there was intelligence that was not acted on or that our officers made mistakes.”

 

The ABC spokesman said: “The Four Corners program is a comprehensive investigation examining the events that led to the worst terrorist attack on Australian soil. Detailed questions were put to ASIO and its response is reflected in the story.”

 

ASIO repeated that “ultimately, the royal commission will make its own assessment based on all the evidence and intelligence, rather than selective claims”.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/asio-cautions-abc-over-bondi-four-corners-program/news-story/bf2fe95bf226084ff019261a9510a236

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-03/bondi-part-two-four-corners/106298452

 

https://www.asio.gov.au/asio-statement-four-corners