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A person accused of killing 15 people within the Bondi Beach Hanukkah terror attack in December appeared in court for the primary time today.
Naveed Akram, 24, is accused of 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act after dozens of others were injured at Sydney’s Archer Park on December 14.
His father, Sajid, 50, was shot dead by police on the scene.
Akram appeared via video link during a transient hearing at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on Monday, where a magistrate prolonged suppression orders within the case.
The orders, made late last yr, relate to details of several victims and survivors who’ve opted to not be publicly identified.
Police allege Akram and his father carried out Australia’s worst mass shooting since 1996, targeting the Jewish festival of lights.
Among the many victims were a ten-year-old girl, Matilda, Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, and British-born rabbi Eli Schlanger.
Two law enforcement officials were also injured when two assailants opened fire on the festivalgoers on the sunny evening.
In line with police, the daddy and son parked their vehicle near a footbridge overlooking Archer Park at Bondi at about 6.50pm on December 14.
The police say a ‘tennis ball bomb’ and three pipe bombs were then thrown into the gang before the pair opened fire.
Not one of the bombs detonated, but they were deemed viable during preliminary police evaluation.
Brave bystanders have been hailed as heroes after risking their lives attempting to stop the attackers.
In December, court documents made public police allegations that Sajid and Naveed Akram visited the realm for ‘planning’ in the times before the attack.
Police have further accused the pair of conducting firearms training within the Australian countryside.
![TOPSHOT - This screen grab of UGC video taken on December 14, 2025 and received courtesy of Mike Ortiz shows beach-goers fleeing Bondi Beach after gunmen opened fire, in Sydney on December 14, 2025. Two suspected shooters opened fire at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach, killing nine people and wounding multiple others in an attack that spread panic, with bodies reported lying on the ground. (Photo by Mike Ortiz / UGC / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE MANDATORY CREDIT ?? AFP PHOTO / UGC / Mike Ortiz ?? - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS [ NO ARCHIVE ]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/SEI_277946858-1163.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Akram will return to court in April.
Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, was injured when he disarmed considered one of the attackers and pointed the weapon back on the gunman, forcing him to retreat before Mr al Ahmed was shot by the second assailant.
A second bystander, Reuven Morrison, then stepped in and threw a brick on the gunman, while Mr al Ahmed, who had not fired the weapon, rested it against a close-by tree.
Mr Morrison’s daughter said her dad was ‘shot dead for being Jewish at a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach while protecting lives, while jumping up, putting his own life in danger to avoid wasting his fellow Jewish community members.’
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