Australian authorities say a 24-year-old man accused of killing 15 people at a Hanukkah gathering near Bondi Beach now faces 19 additional charges.
The suspect, identified as Naveed A., is alleged to have opened fire alongside his father during the December attack. Police shot and wounded Naveed while his 50-year-old father was killed as officers responded.
Naveed A. had already been charged with 59 counts, including attempted murder and committing a terrorist act. Court records released Wednesday say he now faces 19 more counts, among them 10 counts of shooting with intent to murder, counts of wounding with intent to murder, and six counts of discharging a firearm with intent to resist arrest.
The new charges come after an intensive investigation that has led to public hearings into what authorities describe as Australia’s worst alleged terrorist attack and the deadliest mass shooting in the country in three decades. The massacre has prompted proposals for tighter gun laws.
Police allege the attack was inspired by the Islamic State group. Victims included an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, a couple who confronted the attackers, and a 10-year-old girl.
Investigators say the father and son trained with firearms in a rural area and planned the assault over several months. Authorities also allege the pair recorded a video in October denouncing ‘Zionists’ while seated in front of an IS flag and explaining their motives.
Naveed A. remains held in a high-security prison and has not entered a plea. He appeared by video from jail at a procedural hearing at Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court, where magistrates considered a gag order to protect the identities of victims and survivors who have not consented to being named publicly.
Editor’s note: DW follows the German press code, which emphasizes protecting the privacy of suspected criminals and victims and often refrains from publishing full names.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko