An Australian man accused of killing 15 people in an antisemitic mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach will face additional charges, court officials said Wednesday.
The 24-year-old, identified as Naveed A., is accused of opening fire alongside his father during a Hanukkah gathering last December. Police shot and wounded Naveed, while his 50-year-old father was killed as officers responded to the attack.
Naveed A. was already charged with 59 counts, including attempted murder and committing a terrorist act. Court records released Wednesday show he now faces 19 extra charges, 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 follow an intensive investigation that opened public hearings into what authorities have called Australia’s worst alleged terrorist attack and the deadliest mass shooting in three decades. The massacre prompted a series of proposed gun law reforms.
Police say the shooting was inspired by the Islamic State (IS) group. Victims included an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, a couple who confronted the attackers, and a 10-year-old girl.
Authorities say the father and son conducted firearms training in a rural area and meticulously planned the attack for months. Police also allege the suspects recorded a video in October denouncing “Zionists” while seated before an IS flag and outlining motivations for the attack.
Naveed A. remains in a high-security prison and has not yet entered a plea. He appeared by video from jail at a procedural hearing in Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court, which considered a gag order to suppress the identities of victims and survivors who have not chosen to be publicly identified.
Editor’s note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and often refrains from revealing full names.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko