Australia: Suspect in Bondi Beach Attack Appears in Court in Sydney

SadaNews - The suspect in the Bondi Beach attack in Sydney, Naveed Akram, appeared in an Australian court via video link on Monday, marking his first appearance since the mass shooting incident that occurred last December, which resulted in the deaths of 15 people and injured dozens.

Australian authorities accuse Naveed and his father, Sajid, of carrying out the attack during a Jewish celebration on Hanukkah at the beach, where the father was later shot dead by police, while Naveed faces charges of terrorism and murder.

The defendant appeared for a few minutes from inside the prison, with the session focusing on technical matters related to the anonymity of some victims, and he only uttered one word during the session.

Akram is scheduled to appear in court again on March 9, while his lawyer stated that his client is being held under harsh conditions, without specifying whether he would plead guilty.

Naveed had been under surveillance by Australian intelligence at one point in 2019, but monitoring ceased when it was deemed that he no longer posed an imminent threat.

Police documents revealed that the accused "trained with firearms" in the rural area of New South Wales prior to the attack. Photos were published showing the two suspects firing rifles and moving in a manner described by police as "tactical."

They noted that the accused had "meticulously planned the attack" over several months.

Police also reported that the two men recorded a video in October in which they denounced "Zionists" before carrying out their attack.

They appeared in a video found on one of their phones, sitting in front of an ISIS flag while reciting verses from the Quran and discussing their "motivations behind the Bondi attack."

The attack sparked widespread controversy in Australia regarding anti-Semitism and calls for stricter gun laws, with police revealing that the suspects trained in weapon use and meticulously planned the attack over several months.