A 24-year-old man accused of carrying out the Bondi Beach mass shooting has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, as Sydney began holding the first funerals for victims of the attack that killed 15 people.
The charges against Naveed Akram include a terrorism offence, 15 counts of murder, and 40 counts relating to wound/grievous bodily harm to a person with intent to murder.
He has also been charged with the alleged firing of a weapon, displaying the symbol of a banned terrorist group, and placing an explosive device in or near a building.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, prosecutors will argue that Akram’s actions were intended to advance a religious motive and were carried out in a way that caused deaths, inflicted severe injuries, and put the wider public at risk.
The charges were laid as families, faith leaders, and political figures gathered in Sydney on Wednesday to mourn the victims of the Bondi Beach attack.
The first funerals marked a sombre turning point for a nation still reeling from Sunday’s violence, which left 15 people dead after two gunmen – Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24 – opened fire at a beachfront Hanukkah celebration attended by Jewish families.
One of the first services was held at the Chabad of Bondi synagogue for Rabbi Eli Schlanger, whose death has become emblematic of the scale of loss suffered by the local Jewish community. Outside the synagogue, mourners packed the streets in silence as Schlanger’s coffin – draped in black velour embroidered with the gold Star of David – was carried inside. Family members leaned over the coffin, weeping.
Schlanger, 41, was an assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and the organiser of the “Chanukah by the Sea” event at Bondi Beach. A father of five, his youngest child is just two months old.
Often referred to as the “Bondi Rabbi”, Schlanger was widely known for his work supporting Jewish life in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Chabad described him as a tireless community figure devoted to strengthening faith and connection.
During the funeral service, his father-in-law Rabbi Yehoram Ulman struggled to speak through tears.
“Whatever I say today will be an understatement to what you mean to everyone and to your family and to me personally,” he said. “You are my son, my friend, my confidant.”
He added: “A day without you is impossible.”
Prime minister Anthony Albanese, speaking earlier to reporters, said Schlanger’s loss was felt far beyond his immediate family.
“He was clearly much loved in the community, not just by his family as well,” Mr Albanese said.
“I think all Australians’ thoughts and hearts are with those families as they go through farewelling their loved ones.”
Funerals were also scheduled on Wednesday for Reuven Morrison, Peter Meagher, and Rabbi Yaakov Levitan.
As services continued, residents across Sydney gathered at Bondi Pavilion, laying flowers and lighting candles at the site of the attack, transforming the beachfront landmark into a sprawling memorial.
Meanwhile, the surviving suspect, Naveed Akram, is set to face court later on Wednesday via video conference. One gunman, Sajid Akram, was shot by police at the site of the attack on Sunday.
Mr Albanese has said that the attack was driven by “Islamic State ideology” and investigators believe the suspected attackers had recently undergone “military-style training” in the southern Philippines, an area associated with Islamist extremist groups, according to public broadcaster ABC.
New South Wales premier Chris Minns has confirmed that emergency legislation is being drafted and that parliament will be recalled ahead of the Christmas break. Proposed changes include caps on the number of firearms an individual may own, the reclassification of straight pull-up and pump-action shotguns, reductions in shotgun magazine capacity, and a ban on belt-fed shotgun magazines, local media reported.
The state is also seeking to eliminate appeal mechanisms once a gun license has been revoked.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley told reporters on Wednesday that over the past two years Jewish Australians had seen “a rising tide of antisemitism” in the country.
“They have looked to their leaders in Canberra, and they have looked to Prime Minister Albanese, and he has failed them. He has failed them every single day.”
“If none of the events of the last two years were a wake-up call, then surely this is the wake-up call the prime minister needs to step up,” she said.
Deputy prime minister Richard Marles told Channel Seven that Jewish Australians have not felt secure “for a long time”.
“Antisemitism is at the heart of this and we need to be doing everything in our country to stamp it out. We have been acting on that in terms of commissioning the Segal report,” Mr Marles said. It is a report by special envoy Jillian Segal on combating antisemitism.
“Not for a moment am I saying that everything has been done. We need to do so much more and we will do that. This won't be a week or a month, it’s a long-term project but we must stamp antisemitism out. In this we must bring Australians together.”
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