Australian police have charged a man over the Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting that killed 15 people, as funerals for the victims began in Sydney. Authorities said the suspect faces 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, multiple counts of attempted murder and a terrorism charge, following the attack that shocked the nation and heightened fears over antisemitism and violent extremism.
Police allege the shooting was carried out by a father and son, with the father killed at the scene by officers and the son, Naveed Akram, now formally charged after emerging from a coma. Investigators say the attack was terror-inspired, with early indications pointing to Islamic State influence, and are probing the suspects’ travel history to regions linked to Islamist militancy. Akram remains in hospital under heavy police guard and is due to appear in court via video link.
As mourning continues, New South Wales authorities announced urgent gun law reforms, including limits on firearm ownership and tighter controls on certain weapons. Funerals began on Wednesday, including that of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, while tributes poured in for the victims, among them a Holocaust survivor, a 10-year-old girl, and others praised for heroic actions.
