In a significant development following the horrific mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach, the surviving gunman, Naveed Akram, has been formally charged with a total of 59 criminal offences. The charges were laid on Wednesday as the 24-year-old suspect regained consciousness from a medically induced coma in a Sydney hospital.
Charges Laid as Suspect Wakes from Coma
The extensive list of charges includes 15 counts of murder, one for each victim killed in the December 14 attack. Additionally, Akram faces one count of committing a terrorist act. The charges extend to 40 counts of causing harm with intent to murder related to the over 20 people wounded, and one count of placing an explosive near a building with intent to cause harm.
Police investigations revealed that the car used by the attackers, found at the crime scene, contained improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Naveed Akram has been under police guard in the hospital since the incident, where he and his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, were shot by responding officers. Sajid Akram died at the scene.
A Targeted Antisemitic Attack During Hanukkah
The father-son duo carried out the attack targeting a gathering of Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach. All 15 victims who have been identified so far were members of the Jewish community. The victims spanned a wide age range, highlighting the brutality of the attack, from a 10-year-old girl named Matilda to an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor.
The community's grief was palpable as hundreds of mourners gathered in Sydney this week to begin funeral proceedings for the victims. At a vigil held on Tuesday night, Matilda's parents made an emotional plea for attendees to remember their daughter's name.
Hyderabad Connection and International Travel
Law enforcement agencies in Australia and India confirmed on Tuesday that Sajid Akram was originally from Hyderabad, India. The focus shifted to a two-storey bungalow in the Tolichowki area of the city, which belongs to the Akram family.
According to Telangana police details, Sajid Akram held a B.Com degree and migrated to Australia in November 1998 in search of work. In Australia, he married a woman of European origin, and the couple had two children: Naveed and a daughter. Family members stated that Sajid had limited contact with them over the years and did not attend his own father's funeral in 2009.
Investigations also uncovered that the father and son travelled to the Philippines last month before the attack. The Philippines Bureau of Immigration confirmed that Sajid Akram travelled on an Indian passport, while his son Naveed used an Australian passport.
The attack, one of the deadliest in Australia's recent history, has sent shockwaves through the international community and raised serious questions about extremism and security. As Naveed Akram awaits legal proceedings, a nation continues to mourn the profound loss of innocent lives.
