Naveed Akram Faces 19 New Charges After Bondi Beach Mass Shooting

The 24‑year‑old Australian, Naveed Akram, who opened fire on the Jewish community’s Hanukkah festival at Bondi Beach in December, has been charged with an additional 19 offences. After previously facing 59 charges—including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and a charge of terrorism—the court now records 10 counts of shooting with intent to murder, six counts of discharging a firearm with intent to resist arrest and three counts of grievous bodily harm with intent to murder.

The fresh charges were added in April but only confirmed by authorities today. Akram has made a series of short court appearances, yet he has not entered a plea; he is set to return to the courtroom in August.

Prosecutors said the Joint Counter‑Terrorism Team is “progressing steadily” through evidence, which includes about 230,000 CCTV images and data from devices linked to Akram and associates that still require translation. According to a lawyer for Akram, “extra charges were not surprising—law takes time,” said Leonie Gittani.

The attack, Australia's worst mass shooting in almost thirty years, also killed Akram’s father, Sajid Akram. Police shot the elder Akram on the beach and later killed him. The younger Akram sustained serious injuries, was treated in hospital and is now in prison.

Court documents suggest the two men had planned the assault for months, conducting reconnaissance and firearms training months before the December 14 attack. They reportedly posed in front of an Islamic State flag in a video from October, expressing hate towards “Zionists.”

The assault triggered gun‑law reforms, a crackdown on hate speech, and a Royal Commission into antisemitism in Australia, whose hearings began in February. Further details will be revealed as the case advances through the justice system.

For more on the legal aftermath, visit the BBC article on the court battle and the file on family privacy.