Case against alleged Bondi terror attacker postponed amid vast investigation
A Sydney court has adjourned the case against Naveed Akram, 24, over the Bondi beach terror attack. Prosecutors expect to be ready to certify the charges by 24 February.
A court in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday adjourned the criminal case against Naveed Akram, 24, who is accused of involvement in the terror attack at Bondi beach. The matter will return to the Downing Centre local court on 24 February, by which date prosecutors expect to be ready to certify the charges. Akram has not yet entered a plea.
According to the allegations, Akram and his 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram, opened fire at a Hanukah festival at Bondi beach on 14 December, killing 15 people and injuring 40. Police shot and killed the father at the scene. The son survived a shootout with officers and faces 78 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act that investigators allege may have been “inspired by Isis”. He was charged with 59 offences in December, and 19 more were added in April as the investigation progressed.
Why more time is needed
Prosecutor Danielle New applied for the adjournment, and Akram’s defence team did not oppose it. She said prosecutors had completed their brief of evidence, which had also been delayed by the sheer volume of material. Magistrate Karen Stafford granted the request after New argued investigators needed time to consult the alleged victims and next of kin about the charges before the offences are certified in court. Certification is a standard step in a criminal case, in which prosecutors formally list the offences proceeding to trial.
New said her team did not want to “rush” the consultations and noted that Hanukah is approaching, followed by the Christmas holidays and the courts’ summer shutdown. She said the Crown needed to go over everything again so that no person’s narrative is left untold.
The brief of evidence includes thousands of witness statements, medical records, financial statements, purchases made by the Akrams and footage from Bondi beach on the evening of the attack. New described the joint counter-terrorism team’s investigation as unprecedented in size.
Earlier allegations
In December, a police fact sheet released via the courts alleged that the pair had planned the attack for many months. This allegedly included making an “ISIS inspired” video, firearm training and making explosives. Police also alleged the two made a reconnaissance visit to Bondi two days before the attack, going to the footbridge from which they are accused of deliberately firing at people gathered at the festival.
