The man accused of killing fifteen people during a Jewish festival at Sydney’s Bondi Beach last December, Naveed Akram, now faces nineteen new criminal charges, pushing his total civil‑law exposure to 78.
Akram was already charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, 40 of attempted murder and a single count of committing a terrorist act. The fresh accusations, added in April and only now officially confirmed, add 10 counts of shooting with intent to kill, six counts of discharging a firearm with intent to resist arrest, and three counts of causing wounding or grievous bodily harm with intent to kill.
The accused has made a series of brief court appearances but has yet to plead. A further hearing is scheduled for August.
Prosecutors told the court that investigators from the Joint Counter‑Terrorism Team were "progressing steadily" through evidence, which includes about 230 000 CCTV images and data from several devices connected to people allegedly linked to Akram. Much of this content is still under translation and analysis.
Akram’s lawyer, Leonie Gittani, said the additional charges were not a surprise. "He was aware of the possibility, but at this magnitude it's not unusual for more charges to be filed," she told the ABC. “It's a process we must follow.”
The father of the suspect, Sajid Akram – who was also armed during the incident – was shot dead by police on the day of the event. The younger Akram was severely wounded by police fire and later moved from hospital to prison.
Court documents released in late December indicated the father and son had meticulously planned the assault months in advance. They had even visited the Bondi Beach site twice before the attack for reconnaissance, and one video—captured on a mobile device in October—showed them watching a circle of the Islamic State flag while discussing their motives. Separate footage from October captured the father and son conducting firearms training in a countryside area of New South Wales, firing shotguns and practising tactical movements.
The 2025 Bondi Beach shooting remains Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost three decades. It sparked gun‑law reforms and a crackdown on hate speech, and led to a royal commission into antisemitism whose public hearings began in February.
For further coverage on the case, see the recent BBC feature "Bondi Beach shooting accused faces court for the first time" and an in‑depth look at how the festival turned from joy to horror.
