WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — An Australian man accused of massacring 15 people during Hanukkah celebrations at Sydney’s Bondi Beach will face 19 additional charges related to the attack, officials said Wednesday.
Naveed Akram has been charged with 59 counts, including murder, attempted murder and committing a terrorist act, after two gunmen opened fire at a Jewish holiday event in December 2025. He has not yet been asked to plead guilty.
The attack ended when the 24-year-old man was shot and wounded and his father Sajid Akram, 50, died in a shootout with police. Australian police said the massacre was inspired by the Islamic State group.
Akram Jr is due to appear in Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court on Wednesday via video link from prison. The procedural hearing is scheduled to discuss a gag order that prohibits the disclosure of the identities of assault victims and survivors who have not chosen to be identified publicly.
Court officials said Wednesday that 19 more charges were filed on April 15 since Akram’s last court appearance. Other charges include 10 shootings with intent to murder and six shootings with intent to resist arrest.
The men allegedly began the attack by throwing improvised explosive devices at crowds celebrating Hanukkah at one of Australia’s most popular beaches, but the devices did not explode, according to court documents provided earlier. Police said a larger improvised explosive device was found in the trunk of his son’s car, which was flying an Islamic State group flag.
The police investigation is one of three official inquiries into Australia’s worst terror attack and the country’s worst mass shooting in 29 years. One involves the interactions between law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the lead-up to the attack.
The royal commission, Australia’s highest form of public inquiry, is investigating the nature and prevalence of anti-Semitism in everyday life and the circumstances surrounding the Bundy shooting. The committee released an interim report in April urging tighter gun controls and began its first public hearing on Monday.