Australian authorities have formally charged Naveed Akram, the surviving suspect in the Bondi Beach mass shooting, with 59 criminal offenses including terrorism and 15 counts of murder. The 24-year-old remains under heavy police guard at a Sydney hospital where he recently emerged from a coma.
The charges follow Sunday’s horrific attack during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration that left 15 dead and dozens wounded. According to New South Wales Police, Akram and his 50-year-old father Sajid Akram opened fire on the gathering in an act allegedly inspired by the Islamic State terrorist organization. Police confirmed Sajid Akram was shot dead at the scene by responding officers.
Court documents reveal prosecutors will argue the attack was designed to “advance a religious cause and cause fear in the community.” The investigation has uncovered that the father-son perpetrators traveled to the southern Philippines, a region known for Islamist militancy, weeks before carrying out the attack.
The timing of the formal charges coincides with the beginning of funeral services for the Jewish victims, amid growing public concern about how the attackers obtained powerful firearms despite one having been previously investigated for extremist links.
International attention has focused on the case, with U.S. President Donald Trump characterizing the incident as a “horrific and antisemitic terrorist attack” during a White House Hanukkah event. The case has intensified discussions about rising antisemitism and violent extremism in Australia.
Naveed Akram is scheduled to appear via video link before a local court on Monday morning, marking the next phase in Australia’s judicial response to one of the nation’s deadliest terrorist incidents.