 "A police officer stands guard following the attack on a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia. Reuters")
Indian authorities have reportedly issued two intelligence alerts to strengthen vigil in areas frequented by the Jewish community in India following the Bondi Beach attack in Australia.
Sources have told News18 that two intel alerts were issued in India, one on Sunday, on the day of the attack and the other on Monday in view of the Jewish community security and threat.
Sajid Akram and his son Naveed opened fire on people thronging the famous beach for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah on Sunday evening, killing 15 people and wounding dozens more.
Intel alerts issued in India
Recent violent incidents in Australia involving attacks on Jewish individuals have raised concerns about a possible rise in ideologically motivated violence targeting Jewish communities worldwide.
Authorities said there is currently “no actionable intelligence” pointing to a direct threat against Jewish institutions or individuals in India. However, officials cautioned that the global spread of extremist propaganda and online radicalisation warrants increased vigilance as a precaution.
As a result, district-level officers have been instructed to step up security coverage at the Israeli Embassy, hotels and public venues frequented by Jewish visitors, Chabad houses, and busy markets and public spaces, citing the recent attack in Sydney targeting a Jewish group.
‘Islamic State ideology’
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that the shooters, a duo of father and son, of the Bondi Beach incident were motivated by “Islamic State ideology”.
While their deeper motivations are unknown, authorities have said that the shooters wanted to instil fear among Australia’s Jewish community by carrying out the attack.
Albanese gave one of the first hints on Tuesday that the pair had been radicalised by an “ideology of hate”.
“It would appear that this was motivated by Islamic State ideology,” Albanese told national broadcaster ABC.“With the rise of ISIS more than a decade ago now, the world has been grappling with extremism and this hateful ideology,” he said in a separate interview.