The surviving alleged Bondi Beach massacre gunman has been described as a 'quiet loner' who only had a small group of friends before dropping out of high school.
Former schoolmates of Naveed Akram, 24, have told the Daily Mail they were 'absolutely shocked' to see his photo in the news after he and his father Sajid, 50, allegedly opened fire at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sunday night.
Graduates of Cabramatta High School, in Sydney's west, described Akram as a 'really nice, smart and polite kid' and 'the last person you would expect' to allegedly be involved in such a horrific event.
Akram is understood to have begun Year 7 at the school in 2014 before leaving around grade 10 or 11, later going on to work as a bricklayer.
A yearbook photo obtained by the Daily Mail shows Akram smiling among his peers in the school's burgundy uniform.
Former classmate Steven Luong, who spent years playing sport alongside Akram, said his stomach dropped the moment the familiar face flashed across the screen.
'I could have never imagined in 100 years that this could be his doing,' he told Daily Mail.
'He was a very nice person. He never did anything unusual.
The boy schoolmates remembered was described as 'super nice' and 'quiet' by former peers. He is now believed to have been responsible for the Bondi Beach massacre with his father Sajid.
Former schoolmates have expressed their shock at seeing his face blasted on TV screens in the wake of the shooting.
Neither of the former school friends can recall any warning signs or incidents during their teenage years that would have foreshadowed such an alleged act of violence.
Shock deepened further with revelations that Naveed was allegedly acting alongside his father during the terror attack.
'I was watching the news to see if I recognised the other gunman,' the friend said.
'I was hoping I didn't because it would be absolutely heartbreaking if I knew them too.'
The pair say many former classmates have been messaging one another to offer support while trying to come to terms with the mass shooting which Naveed was allegedly responsible for.
'He really was such a normal kid, everyone is saying it, like, what happened? What could have happened?' his classmate said.
'I have goosebumps thinking about it.'
Naveed's mother, Verena, has also expressed shock over the alleged attack, describing her son as a 'good boy' who she did not believe had possessed any guns.
Speaking from her police-surrounded Bonnyrigg home, in Sydney's west, Ms Akram said the 24-year-old had told family he had gone to Jervis Bay with his father for a weekend of fishing and swimming.
'He rings me up [on Sunday] and said, "Mum, I just went for a swim. I went scuba diving. We're going... to eat now",' she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
‘And then this morning, “we’re going to stay home now because it’s very hot”.’
Ms Akram was unable to identify her son from a photo at the scene of the shooting, but insisted he was a 'good boy' who is incapable of violence or extremism.
'He doesn't have a firearm. He doesn't even go out. He doesn't mix around with friends. He doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke, he doesn't go to bad places,' she said.
'He goes to work, he comes home, he goes to exercise, and that's it.'
Ms Akram said her son was not particularly social during his time at high school and had worked as a bricklayer until about two months ago when the company became insolvent.
Akram is alleged to have taken the lives of at least 15 people and injured 40 more alongside his father, after opening fire with military-grade weapons into crowds of locals, holidaymakers and families at Bondi Beach on Sunday night.
The older gunman was also shot dead by police while his son suffered critical injuries and remains in hospital under police guard. Police will allege they were the only two shooters involved.
NSW Police have confirmed Sajid had held a gun licence since 2015 and all firearms registered to him were legally owned. Both men were also members of local gun clubs.
Police have since seized all six firearms linked to him which are understood to have been at the scene of the terrifying shooting.
'He has six firearms licensed to him. We are satisfied that we have six firearms from the scene yesterday, but also as a result of the search warrant at the Campsie address,' NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said.
'Ballistics and forensic investigation will determine those six firearms are the six that were licensed to that man, but also they were used in the offence yesterday at Bondi.
'We will continue to investigate this matter thoroughly.'
ASIO has also admitted that one of the shooters was on their radar.
'One of these individuals was known to us, but not in an immediate threat perspective,' ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said on Sunday night.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Sajid Akram came to Australia in 1998 on a student visa before transitioning to a partner visa in 2001.
He said his son was examined by ASIO in October 2019 on the basis of his involvement with other persons of interest.
Albanese said the agency's investigation found he was of no ongoing threat.
The spy agency has since committed to reviewing the issue and searching for others who might be plotting similar attacks, though Mr Burgess stressed there was no indication anyone else in the community had a similar intent.
The shooting has officially been declared a terrorist incident, which will allow ASIO, the Australian Federal Police and its state counterpart to deploy special powers as it investigates the shooting.
The PM also hinted additional funding for security for the Jewish community - a recommendation of the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal - would be considered.
The two men had spent the weekend in a short-stay rental home in Brighton Avenue, Campsie, with police raiding that address and their family home in Bonnyrigg.
Among the dead is a ten-year-old girl, along with a local rabbi, an Israeli man and a French citizen.
Those who died are yet to be formally identified; however, police say their ages range between 10 and 87.
Forty people remain in hospital in various conditions.
Five people remain in critical condition while the others are in serious but stable condition.
Two injured police officers remain in serious but stable condition.