A man accused of firing at a Jewish Hanukkah event at Sydney’s well-known Bondi Beach has been charged with 59 crimes, which include murder and terrorism, as reported by police on Wednesday.
The alleged attackers, a father and son, opened fire during the outdoor festivities on Sunday, resulting in 15 fatalities in a violent incident that alarmed the country and heightened anxieties about escalating antisemitism and violent extremism.
Fifty-year-old Sajid Akram was killed by police at the scene, while his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, regained consciousness from a coma on Tuesday afternoon after also being shot by law enforcement.
According to New South Wales Police, the younger Akram has been charged with 59 counts, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder with wounding, along with a charge related to terrorism and various other offences.
During a video court appearance from his hospital bed, Akram’s attorney did not enter any pleas nor request bail for his client, as stated in court documents.
As memorials continue for the 15 victims of the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, accounts of bravery are being shared about several individuals who fought back against their assailants. Meanwhile, inquiries are being made about a trip to the Philippines taken by the suspected shooters.
Authorities indicated in a statement that police would argue in court that the individual acted in a manner that resulted in deaths, serious injuries, and endangered lives to promote a religious agenda and instill fear in the community.
Preliminary assessments suggest the incident was a terrorist attack motivated by ISIS, which is classified as a terrorist organization in Australia.
Naveed Akram is scheduled to appear via video link in a local court on Monday morning.
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The father and son had traveled to southern Philippines weeks prior to the shooting, which Australian authorities believe was influenced by the Islamic State. Immigration records indicate they arrived in Manila and then traveled to Davao City in Mindanao, an area known for its issues with Islamist militancy.
However, the Philippines’ national security adviser stated that there is no evidence suggesting that the suspects received any training during their time in the country.
Eduardo Año also remarked that following a five-month conflict in which the Islamic State-inspired Maute group captured Marawi and battled government forces in 2017, Philippine military efforts have significantly weakened the capabilities of ISIS-affiliated groups.
Floral tributes left at the promenade of Bondi Beach. The ages of the victims ranged from a 10-year-old girl to an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor. ( David Gray/AFP/Getty Images)
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is under scrutiny for not doing enough to curb the rise of antisemitism in Australia during the recent two-year conflict between Israel and Gaza.
“We will collaborate with the Jewish community; our goal is to eradicate antisemitism from our society,” Albanese stated to reporters.
Both the government and intelligence agencies are facing calls to clarify how Sajid Akram was able to legally acquire the high-powered rifles and shotguns that were utilized in the attack. The government has already committed to extensive reforms regarding gun legislation.
In a related note, Naveed Akram was briefly scrutinized by Australia’s domestic intelligence agency in 2019 due to alleged ties with Islamic State, but it was concluded at that time that he did not pose a threat, according to Albanese.
Rabbis remembered
Funeral services for two rabbis who had served together at the Chabad of Bondi were conducted on Wednesday; both had young families and their wives were best friends since high school. The “Chanukah by the Sea” gathering at the beach was organized by the Chabad of Bondi.
A Bondi synagogue was filled to capacity for the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, on Wednesday morning. The funeral for the second rabbi, Yaakov Levitan, 39, took place later that day at Macquarie Park in Sydney’s northwest.
“Yaakov and Eli shared an extraordinary partnership. Eli had the visions and ideas, while Yaakov figured out how to implement them,” Rabbi Yakov Lieder wrote in an online obituary on a Chabad website.
Family members of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed in the Bondi shootings, mourn during his funeral on Wednesday. (Kate Geraghty/The Associated Press)
Rabbi Schlanger had recently welcomed the birth of his fifth child, while Rabbi Levitan was a father of four.
“You were my son, my friend, my confidant… a day without you seems unimaginable,” Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, Schlanger’s father-in-law, expressed at the service. He urged Jewish individuals to continue celebrating and expressing their faith.
“That is not the solution… we must never let them succeed; instead, every time they attempt something, we must emerge greater and stronger,” Ulman stated.
He also announced that local rabbis would coordinate an event at the end of Hanukkah to light eight candles this Sunday at the site of the tragedy.
Rabbi Levi Wolff assists in moving the casket of Rabbi Yaakov Halevi Levitan, who was killed in the mass shooting. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns reported that 23 individuals remained hospitalized across several Sydney facilities.
Funeral for youngest victim on Thursday
The service for Matilda, a 10-year-old girl who lost her life in the shooting, is scheduled for Thursday, as per an online funeral announcement.
Matilda’s father expressed at a Bondi vigil on Tuesday night his desire for his daughter’s memory to endure.
“We arrived here from Ukraine… and I believed that Matilda is the most Australian name that could possibly exist. So please remember her name, remember her,” local media quoted him as saying.
‘She’ll be so badly missed, she was just a ray of sunshine in her family,’ Daniel Collins, the uncle of 10-year-old Matilda, said. Matilda was one of 15 people killed after two shooters fired into a Hanukkah celebration at Australia’s most popular beach on Sunday.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns reported that 23 individuals remained hospitalized across various facilities in Sydney.
The family of Jack Hibbert, a 22-year-old police officer who was shot twice during the incident and had only been on the force for four months, stated on Wednesday that he has lost vision in one eye and faces a “long and challenging recovery” ahead.
Other victims included a Holocaust survivor and a couple who approached the gunmen before shots were fired.
Albanese mentioned that Ahmed al-Ahmed, 43, the individual who tackled one of the shooters to disarm him, and who sustained gunshot injuries, was scheduled for surgery on Wednesday.
Swimmers came together on Wednesday morning for a vigil at Bondi Beach. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image/The Associated Press)
At Bondi on Wednesday, swimmers convened on Sydney’s most frequented beach and observed a minute of silence. Organizers have canceled a New Year’s Eve celebration planned for the beach.
“This week has been profoundly impactful, and this morning, I definitely feel a sense of community coming together, and a sense of solidarity,” shared Archie Kalaf, 24, with Reuters. “Everyone is grieving, and each person is processing it in their own way.”
