Bondi Beach Shooter Naveed Akram Charged With 59 Counts After Deadly Attack Leaves 15 Dead, 41 Injured

Naveed Akram, the alleged shooter in the Bondi Beach attack, has been charged with 59 criminal offences following a violent incident that occurred on Sunday, which claimed the lives of 15 people and left 41 others injured.

The 24-year-old suspect was arrested after being shot during an exchange with police and rushed to hospital in critical condition. After spending days in a coma, Akram reportedly regained consciousness on Tuesday, allowing authorities to formally lay charges against him.

According to police, Akram now faces 15 counts of murder, committing a terrorist act, 40 counts of causing wounding or grievous bodily harm with intent to murder, discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, displaying a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol, and placing an explosive in or near a building with intent to cause harm.

It was reported that Akram was charged while still lying in his hospital bed. Due to his medical condition, he has not yet been transferred to prison and remains under strict police guard in the hospital. Authorities also confirmed that he declined to speak with investigators, who waited several days for his medication levels to stabilise before proceeding with the charges.

“For us to do that, it’s important that he has appropriate cognitive ability at the time when you’re on medication, we would argue for his fairness,” NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said at a press conference yesterday.
“We need to make sure that he’s able to understand exactly what’s happening.”

Police further alleged that Naveed Akram and his father, Sajid Akram, were both involved in the attack. Investigators claim the pair used a long-arm rifle to open fire on crowds at Bondi Beach at around 6:40pm.

When officers arrived at the scene, an exchange of gunfire reportedly followed, during which two police officers were shot. About nine minutes into the incident, Sajid Akram was fatally shot by police, while Naveed Akram was wounded and left in critical condition.

Authorities confirmed that the victims ranged in age from 10 to 87 years old. Police will allege in court that Akram’s actions were carried out to advance a religious cause and instil fear within the community.

“Early investigations indicate it was an alleged terrorist attack inspired by ISIS, a listed terrorist organisation in Australia,” a NSW Police statement reads.