The man accused of opening fire on a Hanukkah celebration in Australia has been formally charged after he awoke from a coma. Among the 59 charges against him are murder and terrorism.
Police say Naveed Akram, 24, and his father carried out a mass shooting on Sunday on Sydney’s Bondi Beach. The shooting targeted Jews and left 15 people dead. Akram’s father, Sajid Akram, 50, was killed at the scene.
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The latest
Naveed Akram was charged Wednesday after waking from a coma in the hospital, where he’s been since police shot him and his father during the attack.
Prosecutors have filed 59 charges against the younger Akram, including 15 counts of murder, one count of terrorism, 40 counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to murder, placing an explosive near a building with intent to cause harm, and publicly displaying a terrorist organization’s symbol.
Authorities say they are now investigating the suspects’ possible links to ISIS, including a past trip to the Philippines, a region that has previously been identified by counterterrorism officials as a hub for extremist activity.
What we know about the attack
The shooting happened Sunday evening local time during a “Hanukkah by the Sea” event near the beach. A bystander tackled one of the shooters and wrestled away his gun during the attack.
That bystander has now been identified as Ahmed el Ahmed, 43. He was shot twice but survived and is now being hailed a hero.
An elderly couple also attempted to tackle and disarm one of the gunmen. The man was able to get the gun away from the shooter, but both he and his wife were ultimately killed.
Authorities say two Islamic State flags and improvised explosive devices were found in the vehicle the gunmen drove to the site of the shooting.
Australia’s domestic intelligence agency investigated Naveed Akram in 2019 over his alleged extremist associations, but police said they determined he did not pose a threat.
