Bondi

SYDNEY — Accused Bondi Beach gunman Naveed Akram made his first public court appearance via video link, facing terrorism and 15 murder charges tied to December’s mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration — Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades. Akram, appearing from prison for about five minutes, spoke only once — responding “yeah” when asked whether he had heard a discussion on extending suppression orders, according to the court and local media reports. The brief hearing focused largely on procedural…

Accused Bondi Beach gunman Naveed Akram appeared via video link in a Sydney court in his first public hearing since a December attack on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration that authorities have called Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly three decades. Akram is charged with terrorism and 15 counts of murder in connection with the rampage. The brief hearing focused largely on procedural matters, including the continued suppression of some victims’ identities, according to local media reports. Akram, who wore a green jumper,…

Australia advances national gun buy-back, tighter checks after Bondi mass shooting Australia is poised to pass sweeping new gun-control measures, including a national firearm buy-back and tougher background checks, following last month’s mass shooting at a Jewish festival at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, the country’s deadliest in decades. The legislation cleared the House of Representatives by a vote of 96-45 despite opposition from conservative lawmakers. It now moves to the Senate, where it is expected to pass with support from…

Australia will establish a royal commission — the country’s highest form of public inquiry — into the Bondi Beach mass shooting that killed 15 people, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, bowing to mounting public pressure for answers about an ISIS-inspired attack and the rise of anti-Semitism. “I’ve repeatedly said that our government’s priority is to promote unity and social cohesion. And this is what Australia needs to heal,” Albanese told reporters, adding that the decision followed community calls for a comprehensive,…

Bondi Beach mass shooting suspects acted alone, Australian police say; nationwide gun crackdown announced SYDNEY — A father and son accused of killing 15 people in an Islamic State-inspired attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach acted alone and were not part of a broader terrorist cell, Australian police said, as the federal government moved to tighten gun laws and curb hate speech. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said investigators have found no evidence the pair — identified as Sajid Akram, 50, and his…

Ahmed al Ahmed, the fruit seller hailed as the Bondi Beach shooting hero, has described the moment he leapt on a gunman and wrested away a weapon during last month’s massacre in Sydney, as families of victims issued a fresh call for a national inquiry into antisemitism and systemic failures they say enabled the attack. In an interview published by a U.S. outlet, al Ahmed said he ran toward one of the attackers to protect “innocent people” as gunfire sent crowds scrambling across Sydney’s famed shoreline on Dec. 14.…

Australian police say two suspects in the Bondi Beach shooting trained with firearms in the countryside before allegedly targeting a Hanukkah event that left 15 people dead, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged tougher laws against hate speech and extremism and New South Wales moved on sweeping gun reforms. Father and son Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, are accused of carrying out the nation’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades. Court documents released Monday allege the pair conducted “firearms…

Australia holds minute’s silence one week after Bondi Beach attack as Albanese orders security review SYDNEY — Australia paused for a minute of silence at 6:47 p.m. Saturday to mark one week since a gun attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach killed 15 people and wounded dozens during a seaside Hanukkah celebration, prompting a national day of reflection and a sweeping security response. With flags at half-staff on government buildings and police presence intensified along the coast, authorities invited Australians to light candles —…

SYDNEY — Australian surf lifeguards lined the shoreline of Bondi Beach on Thursday and fell silent to honor the 15 people killed when gunmen opened fire at a seaside Hanukkah celebration last week, one of the deadliest mass shootings in Australia’s history. Hundreds of rescuers in red-and-yellow uniforms formed a human ribbon along the surf, facing the Pacific as they observed three minutes of silence. Similar tributes were held by surf lifesaving clubs nationwide in solidarity before morning patrols began, turning beaches…

Australia will launch a sweeping national gun buyback in response to the Bondi Beach mass shooting, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, as hundreds of residents returned to the surf Saturday to honor the victims with a solemn ocean gathering. Albanese vowed to “get guns off our streets” and to tighten firearms laws that allowed the suspected gunman, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, to legally own six high-powered rifles. The prime minister said it would be the largest buyback since 1996, when Australia overhauled gun laws after…