Bondi terror accused appears in court

Naveed Akram, the 24-year-old accused of carrying out the Bondi Beach terror attack, appeared in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court via videolink on Monday on 59 charges, including murder and terrorism offences.

Akram and his father Sajid are accused of carrying out the deadly attack on the Chanukah by Sea celebration on December 14 in what has been described as the nation’s worst mass shooting in nearly three decades.

Akram faces terrorism charges and 15 counts of murder. Sajid was shot and killed by police during the attack.

The December 14 massacre at Bondi Beach killed 15 people and injured dozens more, including Chabad rabbis Rabbi Eli Schlanger and Rabbi Yaakov Levitan. The youngest victim was 10-year-old Matilda, while the oldest was 87-year-old Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor.

Lawyer Ben Archbold represented Akram at the brief hearing and told reporters outside court he had not yet discussed the attack with his client.