In this exclusive interview from A Current Affair, a former coworker of Naveed Akram, the perpetrator of the deadly Bondi Beach terror attack, shares his disbelief and personal experiences working alongside the shooter. Describing Akram as a quiet, disciplined bricklayer with an Indian father and Italian mother who converted to Islam, the colleague recounts their daily interactions, Akram’s interest in shooting and boxing, and eerie comments about wanting to be remembered.
Initial Recognition and Shock: The former coworker immediately identifies Naveed Akram from social media photos, expressing profound disbelief.
Shocked, disbelief proper shock didn’t think that someone that you could spend time with day in day out on a job site…could do something so cruel.
Personality Description: Akram is portrayed as a quiet, polite, and respectful individual who kept to himself and didn’t impose his views on others.
Sort of a pretty quiet bloke kept to himself fairly polite respectful had his views but never pushed anyone anything on anyone.
Work History: They worked together as bricklayers for about five years, with Akram being a disciplined hard worker who showed up on time and focused on his tasks.
He’s good worker like hard worker very the thing was he was very disciplined as well.
Hobbies and Interactions: They discussed shooting as a hobby, with Akram once suggesting a trip but retracting it oddly; they also boxed together outside work for fitness.
We used to talk about going shooting down at crookwell and he’d say that he actually said to me once ‘oh we should go for a shot down their one day’ and one day he goes ‘oh I don’t know if that would be good for you’.
Departure from Work and Ominous Remark: Akram left work about a month ago due to a hand injury, planning to return, but told a colleague he wanted to be remembered.
Said he injured his hand was gonna come back next year um and one of things the last thing he says said to one of the boys was um he wanted to be remembered.
Family Background: Akram’s parents split up; he lived with his Indian father, while his Italian mother was elsewhere; he converted to Islam from a Christian background.
I think he was born christian and then his old man turned but uh I don’t that’s the issue more just comes down to individual.
Views on Religion and the Incident: The coworker stresses that the attack stems from individual pathology, not religion, and calls for stricter gun controls.
It’s not an Islamic issue its just a sick individual... people like him just shouldn’t shouldn’t be allowed firearms. They need to be doing more background checks.
Overall Reflection: The interviewee feels sickened by the association and condemns the act regardless of motives.
It made me feel a bit sick like spent so much time with someone like for them to be a monster like that it doesn’t matter what race religion anyone like shouldn’t be happening here.
