Naveed Akram, the 24-year-old accused of carrying out the Bondi Beach massacre, has appeared in court for the first time, two months after the attack that shocked Australia and left 15 people dead.
Akram appeared briefly by video link in a Sydney court on Monday from Goulburn supermax prison, where he is being held under strict conditions. The hearing lasted about five minutes. He spoke only once, replying “Yeah” when Deputy Chief Magistrate Sharon Freund asked whether he understood discussions about an extension of suppression orders.
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He faces 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act. The charges stem from the attack on December 14 at a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach, one of Australia’s most famous landmarks.
Prosecutors allege that Akram and his father, Sajid Akram, 50, carried out the shooting together. Police say Sajid was shot dead at the scene. Akram was critically injured and later transferred from the hospital to prison.
Court orders currently protect the identities of those who survived the attack, although survivors may choose to identify themselves publicly.
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Outside the court, Ben Archbold, the defence lawyer, said it was too early to indicate what plea his client would enter. “All we’ve done is start the process. We’re waiting for the brief to be served. There’s nothing more I can say,” he told reporters. He added that his client was doing “as well as can be expected” in custody, noting that everyone understood the strict and demanding conditions inside a supermax facility.
According to the BBC, court documents released in late December allege that the father and son “meticulously” planned the attack for months. Investigators claim the pair visited Bondi Beach two days before the shooting to survey the area.
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Police allege that one video recovered from a mobile phone in October showed the two men seated in front of an image of an Islamic State flag. In the footage, they were heard discussing their motivations and condemning what they described as the acts of “Zionists”. Authorities also said separate footage appeared to show the men conducting firearms training in a rural area of New South Wales, firing shotguns and moving tactically.
Among those killed were two rabbis, a Holocaust survivor, and a 10-year-old girl, authorities confirmed earlier. More than 40 others were injured in what has been described as Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly three decades.
The case has reignited debate about security, extremism, and community safety in a country that has long prided itself on strict gun laws and relative freedom from large-scale gun violence.
Akram is due to return to court in April, as prosecutors continue to assemble what is expected to be one of the most closely watched criminal trials in recent Australian history.
