Sydney, February 16 – Accused perpetrator of the Bondi Beach terror attack, Naveed Akram, appeared in a Sydney court on Monday after being charged with 59 offences related to the fatal mass shooting.
Akram appeared via video link from a supermax prison on Monday morning, where he has been held since being discharged from the hospital following the attack on December 14, 2025.
The 24-year-old is charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act, in connection with the attack, according to Xinhua news agency.
Authorities allege that Akram and his father, Sajid, who was killed by police at the scene of the attack, opened fire on a Jewish celebration at the iconic eastern Sydney beach using rifles and shotguns, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more.
Court documents released in December 2025 revealed that police found evidence that the two attackers had received firearms training at a rural property before the attack.
Local media reported that Akram was mostly silent during Monday's administrative hearing and only spoke when directly addressed by the presiding magistrate.
Speaking outside the court, his lawyer Ben Archbold said that it was too early to say what plea his client would enter.
The case will return to court in April.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, Mike Burgess, director-general of security of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), told a Senate hearing that the perpetrators demonstrated a high level of awareness to hide their plans.
He stated that law enforcement and intelligence agencies were unaware that the perpetrators of the Bondi attack were planning anything prior to the fatal mass shooting on December 14.
"It appears the alleged terrorists demonstrated a high level of security awareness to hide their plot. In simple terms, they went dark to stay off the radar," he said.
Fifteen people were killed in the attack, which targeted a celebration of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, making it Australia's deadliest mass shooting since 1996.
