Bondi Terror Attack: Naveed Akram Faces 59 Charges Following Deaths of 15 at Hanukkah Celebration

According to Rokna, citing The Guardian, Akram, who allegedly carried out the Bondi attack and survived a shootout with police, faces a total of 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act, which investigators believe may have been inspired by Isis.

New South Wales police formally charged Akram on Wednesday. He had been arrested at the scene on Sunday night and taken to a Sydney hospital with critical injuries.

In a statement, police said: “It will be alleged in court that this individual engaged in actions that caused death, serious injury, and endangered lives to further a religious motive and instill fear within the community.”

“Initial assessments suggest the attack may have been inspired by Isis, a listed terrorist organization in Australia,” the statement added.

“Following extensive investigations under Operation Arques, authorities visited a hospital where they charged a 24-year-old man from Bonnyrigg with 59 offenses.”

Akram was formally charged after waking from a coma on Tuesday, with his case heard in court Wednesday afternoon. He did not seek bail and is scheduled to appear in court again on April 8.

Among the charges are 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder, one count of placing explosives in or near a building, a charge of discharging a firearm with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, and a charge of publicly displaying a terrorist symbol.

Akram and his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, allegedly opened fire at attendees of an eight-day Hanukkah festival at Bondi Beach on Sunday. Police reported that Sajid, who was shot dead by officers at the scene, had legally acquired the firearms used in the attack.

The mass shooting resulted in the deaths of 15 individuals, including a 10-year-old child, and left another 20 hospitalized with injuries as of Wednesday.

Authorities declared the incident a terrorist attack on Sunday night. The charges against Naveed were announced a day after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the attack appeared to have been inspired by Islamic State.