Reuters
[Photo Credit: Reuters]
A man accused of committing one of Australia’s worst mass shootings, at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach last December, has been charged with 19 additional offences.
Police say the attack that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration was inspired by Islamic State.
They initially charged Naveed Akram with 59 offences in the days following the shooting, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder and a terror offence.
Akram’s lawyer, Leonie Gittani, told a court in Sydney on Wednesday that 19 additional charges had been filed, according to reports in local media.
Court records showed the new charges included 10 counts of shooting with intent to murder, six counts of discharging a firearm with intent to resist arrest and three counts of causing wounding or grievous bodily harm with intent to murder.
Akram, 24, has yet to enter a plea.
His father, Sajid Akram, 50, whom authorities also accused of carrying out the shooting, was shot dead by police at the scene.
The attack stunned a nation known for its strict gun laws, prompting renewed calls for tighter controls and more decisive action to combat antisemitism.
Australia has also launched a government-backed inquiry into antisemitism and social cohesion and the findings are due by December.
