The Islamic State on Thursday broke its silence over the Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney that left 15 dead and at least 40 injured.
In an article published on the group's Telegram channel, IS wrote that the killing of over a dozen people at a Jewish gathering in Sydney was a "source of pride", but did not explicitly claim responsibility for the attack, as per a report by Reuters.
Earlier, it had been reported that black flags associated with the Islamic State had been found at the scene of the shooting.
The Bondi Beach shooting of 14 December, one of the worst mass shootings in Australia's history, was labelled a terror attack by authorities.
What have authorities said about ISIS involvement?
Initially, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had said there appeared to be "no evidence of collusion" between the shooters and the Islamic State.
However, on Tuesday, authorities confirmed that both Sajid and Naveed had travelled to the Philippine island of Mindanao, with The Washington Post reporting that the place has been home to a local branch of IS fighters for years.
Subsequently, Albanese suggested that the shooting was likely inspired by the Islamic State.
"It would appear that there is evidence that this was inspired by a terrorist organization, by ISIS," Albanese said on Tuesday after investigations revealed the two gunmen's trip east.
He also confirmed the recovery of black flags associated with IS from the crime scene.
Status of the investigation
While one of the two shooters, Sajid Akram (50), was killed during an exchange of fire with the police, his son Naveed (24) survived with injuries and was arrested as soon as he came out of a coma.
The older of the two hailed from Hyderabad, had emigrated to Australia in 1998, and built up an arsenal of legally-owned weapon after setting down under. Authorities found six firearms registered in Sajid's name, as per ABC.
Naveed has been charged with 15 counts of murder, a terrorism charge, and multiple charges linked to the terrorist attack on the Hanukkah gathering on Bondi Beach. In total, the 24-year-old shooter has been charged with 59 offences, as per ABC.
