Australian police on Wednesday charged a man accused of opening fire at a Jewish event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach with 59 criminal offences, including a terrorism-related charge. Authorities identified the suspect as Naveed Akram, 25, who remains under heavy police guard in a Sydney hospital after being shot by officers during the attack.
Police said Akram is one of two men suspected of carrying out Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly 30 years. New South Wales Police confirmed that he faces charges connected to terrorism, murder, attempted murder and firearms offences.
Deadly Hanukkah Attack Shocks Nation
The shooting occurred on December 14 during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach. Police said the attackers opened fire on the gathering, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more in an assault that shocked the country and heightened concerns over rising antisemitism and violent extremism.
Victims included a rabbi who was a father of five, a Holocaust survivor and a 10-year-old girl, Matilda Britvan, according to officials and media reports. Two police officers injured in the attack remain in critical but stable condition in hospital.
Father Killed, Son Hospitalised
Police said Naveed Akram’s father, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by officers at the scene. Naveed Akram, who was also shot, emerged from a coma on Wednesday.
Investigators said the alleged father-and-son attackers had travelled to the southern Philippines weeks before the shooting. Authorities believe the attack was inspired by Daesh, also known as Islamic State.
Indian government officials confirmed on Tuesday that Sajid Akram hailed from Hyderabad, India. According to Indian authorities, he moved to Australia in 1998 on a student visa and had returned to India only a few times, most recently in 2022. Naveed Akram was born in Australia in 2001 and holds Australian citizenship.
Hero Praised, Police Officer Faces Long Recovery
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Ahmed al-Ahmed, 43, who tackled one of the gunmen and helped disarm him despite suffering gunshot wounds, was due to undergo surgery on Wednesday. Al-Ahmed’s family described him as a hero, with relatives in Syria saying they were proud of his actions.
The family of 22-year-old police officer Jack Hibbert, who was shot twice during the attack, said he lost vision in one eye and faces a long recovery. They praised his courage for continuing to protect others while injured.
Community Mourns Victims
Health authorities said 22 injured people remained in Sydney hospitals. On Wednesday, swimmers and residents gathered at Bondi Beach and observed a minute’s silence in memory of the victims, as the nation continued to mourn one of Australia’s darkest days.
