❓WHAT HAPPENED: Naveed Akram, the lone surviving suspect in Sunday’s mass shooting targeting Jews at Australia’s Bondi Beach, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Naveed Akram, his father Sajid Akram, who was killed, and victims, including two rabbis, a Holocaust survivor, and a 10-year-old girl named Matilda.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The attack occurred on Sunday at Bondi Beach in Sydney, targeting a Hanukkah celebration.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Police will allege in court the man engaged in conduct that caused death, serious injury and endangered life to advance a religious cause and cause fear in the community,” a New South Wales (NSW) Police statement said.
🎯IMPACT: Fifteen people were killed, and dozens were injured in the attack, which has been linked to the Islamic State (ISIS).
Naveed Akram, the sole surviving suspect in Sunday’s mass shooting attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, faced charges on Wednesday for 59 offenses, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act. The charges also include 40 counts of causing wounding or grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent to murder, New South Wales Police reports.
Akram is still hospitalized and under guard after being wounded by police gunfire. His father, Sajid Akram, a 50-year-old immigrant born in India, died in a shootout with police at the scene. The attack, aimed at Australia’s Jewish community during a Hanukkah event, killed 15 people and injured many others.
The proceedings against Naveed Akram have been postponed until April 2026. Authorities have stated that the attack drew inspiration from the Islamic State (ISIS), a designated terrorist group in Australia. Two handmade Islamic State flags were found in a vehicle registered to Naveed Akram and parked close to the famous beach.
“Police will allege in court the man engaged in conduct that caused death, serious injury and endangered life to advance a religious cause and cause fear in the community,” a statement from NSW Police read. The probe, called both “massive” and “complex,” is still active.
Victims included two rabbis, a Holocaust survivor, and a 10-year-old girl named Matilda, as identified by her family. The incident has profoundly affected the Jewish community and Australian society as a whole, but left-wing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese intends to respond to it by imposing even stricter gun controls on the public rather than restricting immigration.
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