Bondi Shooter Charged: 24-Year-Old Faces 59 Counts as Death Toll Remains at 15
Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 criminal offences following the mass shooting at Bondi Beach on Sunday night that killed 15 people and left dozens more injured. Akram regained consciousness from a coma on Wednesday afternoon and was formally charged by police that same day. He appeared in a bedside court hearing later that afternoon.
Akram and his father Sajid Akram, 50, allegedly opened fire on a crowd attending Chanukah by the Sea, a Jewish community celebration at the iconic Sydney beachfront. The shooting represents Australia's deadliest mass shooting in recent memory. Sajid was killed by police officers responding to the incident, while Naveed was injured during the altercation and taken into police custody.
The charges facing Naveed Akram include 15 counts of murder—one for each victim killed in the attack—along with charges relating to committing a terrorist act and wounding with intent to murder. The severity and number of charges reflect the calculated nature of the attack and its devastating consequences.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 22 of the 27 people injured during the shooting remained hospitalised across multiple Sydney medical facilities. Of those still receiving treatment, three patients maintained critical condition status while another three were in critical but stable condition. The remaining hospitalised victims were classified as stable, suggesting gradual improvement in their conditions.
The identified victims of the attack span diverse backgrounds and include members of Sydney's Jewish community. Boris Tetleroyd, 68, was among those named on Wednesday. Tetleroyd had attended the Chanukah celebration with his son Yakov, who was injured during the attack. Community leader Edith Brutman, who served as vice president of B'nai B'rith NSW—a Jewish community service organization with global operations—was also killed. Married couple Boris Gurman, 69, and Sofia Gurman, 61, died after attempting to intervene and stop the gunman Sajid Akram.
Other identified victims include French national Dan Elkayam, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, Alex Kleytman, Reuven Morrison, Peter Meagher, Tibor Weitzen, and Marika Pogany. Additionally, 10-year-old Matilda was killed, making her the youngest victim of the attack. Thirteen of the 15 victims have been publicly identified, with two remaining identifications pending family notifications.
The attack has prompted immediate government action on firearms regulation. NSW Premier Chris Minns announced that parliament would be recalled on December 22 and 23 to debate and potentially pass new gun control legislation designed to tighten existing regulations and prevent similar incidents in future.