&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Bondi Beach terror attack: 'It made me feel sick that I...': When a Sydney bricklayer realised his former co-worker was the shooter")
A Sydney bricklayer has spoken of his shock after recognising the face of the identified Bondi Beach attacker Naveed Akram on social media during the terror attack, saying the realisation left him shaken and disturbed. Lachie, who previously worked alongside Akram on construction sites, told A Current Affair, that the two had shared workspaces for nearly five years. Seeing images of Akram holding a rifle, he said, made him feel physically ill. “I was in complete shock and disbelief,” Lachie was quoted as saying, adding that it was horrifying to think he had spent so much time with someone now accused of such violence.
In the immediate aftermath, Lachie reposted the image online with an angry, expletive-filled reaction, describing it as a raw response to the moment. Reflecting on the past, he said he had noticed changes in Akram’s behaviour following his parents’ separation, a period he believes marked a turning point in his life. Lachie also addressed speculation around religion, saying Akram was born Christian and later converted to Islam along with his father. However, he was clear that faith was not to blame. “This isn’t about Islam,” he said. “You can’t judge an entire community because of one person. This comes down to the individual, he’s just a deeply disturbed man.”
His comments come as new aerial footage captures the chaos during and after the attack. Drone vision shows crowds running for safety, with people crouching behind a lifeguard’s four-wheel-drive vehicle. In other scenes, beachgoers and festival attendees are seen taking sheler behind a police car, tending to an injured officer and helping emergency crews as the situation unfolded.
