A man accused of carrying out Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades appeared briefly in a Sydney court on Monday (16 February), facing terrorism and murder charges over the 14 December attack on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead.
Naveed Akram, 24, appeared via video link from Goulburn Correctional Centre, a maximum-security prison south-west of Sydney, during a five-minute procedural hearing.
Prosecutors allege Akram and his father, Sajid Akram, opened fire on revellers on 14 December, killing 15 people and wounding dozens more. Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene.
Naveed Akram faces 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder, terrorism offences and allegations of planting explosives.
However, the hearing focused largely on technical matters, including the extension of suppression orders protecting the identities of some victims.
Akram spoke only once, replying “yeah” when asked if he understood proceedings. He is due to return to court on 9 March.
Outside court, defence lawyer Ben Archbold said his client was being held in “very onerous conditions” and that it was too early to indicate how he would plead.
Police documents allege the father and son planned the attack over several months, undertaking firearms training in rural New South Wales and conducting a reconnaissance visit to Bondi Beach shortly before the killings.
Authorities said the pair had recorded a video railing against “Zionists” while seated before a flag associated with the Islamic State group.
The attack triggered national debate over anti-Semitism, intelligence oversight and gun control, after it emerged Akram had previously been flagged by Australia’s intelligence agency in 2019 but was assessed as posing no imminent threat.
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Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 28 September 2026. These are the top stories making headlines in technology.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has arrived in Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on bilateral ties and key regional and international developments, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
U.S. President Donald Trump has denied reports that he offered Iran sanctions relief and access to frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions.
The European Union's decision to simultaneously advance accession talks with Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania marks its most ambitious enlargement effort in more than two decades.
China has announced plans to complete the world's first AI-driven geological map of Mars by the end of 2028, a project that aims to reconstruct the red planet's ancient water history and introduce a Chinese framework for Martian geological time that Beijing hopes will become a new global standard.
Norway’s parliament on Wednesday began public hearings into ties between late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Norwegian diplomats and politicians, as authorities face questions over the impact of those relationships on the country’s foreign service.
New York prosecutors have reopened a criminal investigation into allegations that seven Cornell University fraternity members sexually assaulted a student in 2024. The case is set to be presented to a grand jury following renewed scrutiny.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has declared that Brexit has done more harm than good, while reaffirming support for Ukraine and NATO as he used his first Labour conference speech as leader to set out a new direction for Britain.
The arrival in South Korea of two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting for Russia has created a rare legal, diplomatic and humanitarian case, raising questions over their status, security and future.
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