No evidence Bondi gunmen were part of militant cell, Australian police say

Two gunmen who allegedly opened fire on a Jewish celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach earlier this month acted alone and there was “no evidence” they were part of a militant cell, police said Tuesday.

SYDNEY — Two gunmen who allegedly opened fire on a Jewish celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach earlier this month acted alone and there is “no evidence” they were part of a militant cell, police said Tuesday.

Naveed Akram and his father, Sajid Akram, are alleged to have killed 15 people at a Hanukkah event on Dec. 14, Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost three decades that shocked the nation and led to immediate reforms of already strict gun laws.

Police have previously said the men were inspired by the Islamic State, with homemade flags of the militant group found in their car after the attack, and a month-long trip by the pair to a Philippine island previously plagued by militancy a major focus of investigation.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said there was no indication the two suspects had received formal training during a trip to the Philippines.Hilary Wardhaugh / Getty ImagesBut on Tuesday, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said there was no indication the men had received formal training on the November trip to Mindanao in the Philippines.

“There is no evidence to suggest these alleged offenders were part of a broader terrorist cell, or were directed by others to carry out an attack,” Barrett told a news conference.