Additional Coverage:
Sydney, Australia – The lone surviving suspect in the horrific Bondi Beach shooting, Naveed Akram, made his initial court appearance in Sydney on Monday, facing a barrage of charges including murder and terrorism. The 24-year-old appeared via video-link from Goulburn supermax prison, where he is being held.
Akram is facing 59 charges in connection with the December 14 attack, which targeted a Hanukkah celebration and resulted in the deaths of 15 Jewish people and injuries to 40 others. Among the charges are 15 counts of murder and one count of carrying out a terror attack.
Authorities allege Akram carried out the attack alongside his 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram. The elder Akram was fatally shot by police at the scene, while Naveed Akram sustained serious injuries from police gunfire.
During the brief hearing at Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court, Naveed Akram did not enter a plea. He was asked only to confirm his understanding of an extended court order that protects the identities of un-named survivors of the attack. Following the proceedings, his state-appointed defense counsel, Ben Archbold, declined to comment on how his client would plead, stating it was too early in the legal process.
Court documents reveal a chilling picture of the alleged planning and motives behind the attack. Several videos have been uncovered, including one from a mobile phone purportedly showing the pair undergoing firearms training in a rural area of New South Wales. Police allege this footage depicts them “firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner.”
Another video, found on Naveed Akram’s phone, reportedly shows the father and son posing with an Islamic State flag and long-arm firearms. In this footage, they are allegedly heard making “a number of statements regarding their motivation for the Bondi attack and condemning the acts of ‘Zionists.'”
The documents further allege that the attack was “meticulously” planned over several months. CCTV footage reportedly shows the pair conducting a reconnaissance mission to Bondi on December 12, two days before the attack, where they are believed to have scoped out the footbridge from which they allegedly opened fire on approximately 1,000 people gathered in Archer Park.
Investigators also allege that the pair threw several improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at the crowd, including a “tennis ball bomb,” although none of these devices detonated.
While Naveed and Sajid Akram spent most of November in an area of the southern Philippines known for Islamist militant activity, authorities have indicated that their investigations thus far suggest the pair acted alone and did not receive training or “logistical preparation” assistance there, a concern that had initially been raised.
Naveed Akram is scheduled to return to court in April.