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Bondi shooter charged with 59 counts including murder, terrorism

Swati Pandey and Ainslie Chandler, Bloomberg News on

Published in News & Features

Australian authorities charged the surviving gunman in Sydney Hanukkah attack that killed 15 with 59 offenses, including murder and terrorism.

The 24 year-old, who’s been identified as Naveed Akram, remains under police guard in the hospital, New South Wales police said in a statement Wednesday. He was shot by authorities during the attack, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s office said was inspired by Islamic State.

The charges against Akram also include 40 counts of causing grievous harm with intent to murder. His father, Sajid Akram, 50, was killed by police.

The charges come as New South Wales, home to Sydney, plans to pass gun reforms next week in the wake of the massacre at Bondi Beach.

The legislation will consider caps on how many firearms an individual can own, the reclassification of shotguns, restrictions on belt-fed magazines and the removal of an appeals process once a decision is made to withdraw a gun license, Premier Chris Minns said.

Parliament will return on Dec. 22-23 to “ensure there’s unambiguous laws in place when it comes to public safety,” Minns told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m worried about a combustible situation and community harmony.”

The development comes as Albanese faces intense pressure over his government’s handling of a rising tide of antisemitism over the past two years.

Former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who lost family in the Holocaust, was visibly angry Wednesday as he mourned the victims, describing the massacre as the “greatest stain” on Australia.

“I’m here to mourn, but I am also here to warn,” he said. “Unless our governments, federal and state, take urgent, unprecedented and strong action, as night follows day, we will be back grieving the loss of innocent lives in another terrorist attack in our country.”

In a series of media interviews, Albanese acknowledged that more needs to be done. He also defended his government’s response over the past two years, including appointing the first-ever antisemitism envoy, strengthening legislation to criminalize hate speech and doxxing as well as a ban on the Nazi salute and hate symbols.

Islamic State flags were found in a vehicle registered to one of the gunmen, as it emerged that the pair had traveled to an area of the Philippines last month where Islamic State-aligned groups have operated. Philippine officials on Wednesday said there was no evidence that the shooters received training in the country.

Australian authorities have said the reasons behind the pair’s visit to the Philippines are under investigation.

 

First funeral

Earlier Wednesday, the police presence was stepped up in Bondi as crowds gathered for the first funeral of the victims. Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a 41-year-old father of five, was mourned at a packed service at a synagogue just a kilometer from where the attacks took place.

“It is unthinkable that we talk about you in the past tense,” Schlanger’s father-in-law, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, said at the service. “Eli was the best husband, the best father, the best son.”

There were still 20 people being treated in New South Wales hospitals as of Wednesday afternoon, the health department said in a statement.

Donations on a gofundme page for Ahmed Al Ahmed, the 43 year-old father who tackled and disarmed one of the shooters, have passed $2.4 million. A sprawling memorial for the victims made up of flowers and candles has formed on the patch of grass near the attack site.

At a Hanukkah reception at the White House Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump paid tribute.

“Let me take a moment to send the love and prayers” to the people of Australia, Trump said. “Especially all those affected by the horrific and antisemitic terrorist attack — and that’s exactly what it is, antisemitic — that took place.”

Indian police earlier confirmed that the elder Akram was an Indian national who migrated to Australia 27 years ago and had limited contact since with his family in Hyderabad.

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—With assistance from Derek Wallbank.


©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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