A man who allegedly opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sydney's famed Bondi Beach has been charged with 59 offences, including murder and terrorism, police said on Wednesday.

The alleged father-and-son perpetrators opened fire on the celebration at Sydney's famed Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing 15 in an attack that shook the nation and intensified fears of rising antisemitism and violent extremism.

Funerals of the Jewish victims of the attack began on Wednesday, amid anger over how the gunmen – one of whom was briefly investigated for links to extremists – were allowed access to powerful firearms.

Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene, while his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram emerged from a coma on Tuesday afternoon after also being shot by police.

New South Wales police said a man had been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with attempt to murder, as well as a terror offence and other charges.

"Police will allege in court the man engaged in conduct that caused death, serious injury and endangered life to advance a religious cause and cause fear in the community," it said in a statement.

"Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by ISIS, a listed terrorist organisation in Australia."

A court filing on Wednesday named Naveed Akram, who remains in a Sydney hospital under heavy police guard, as the man charged.

He will appear via video link before a local court on Monday morning.

The father and son had travelled to the southern Philippines, a region long plagued by Islamist militancy, weeks before the shooting that Australian police said appeared to be inspired by Islamic State.

US President Donald Trump told a Hanukkah event at the White House late on Tuesday that he was thinking of the victims of the "horrific and antisemitic terrorist attack".

"We join in mourning all of those who were killed, and we're praying for the swift recovery of the wounded," he said.

The leader of the Australian state of New South Wales said on Wednesday he will recall parliament next week to pass wide-ranging reforms of gun and protest laws, days after the country's deadliest mass shooting in three decades.

Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales state where the attack took place, told a news conference that parliament would return on December 22 to hear "urgent" reforms, including capping the number of firearms allowed by a single person and making certain types of shotguns harder to access.

The state government will also look at reforms making it harder to hold large street protests after terror events, in order to prevent further tensions.

Meanwhile, the funeral for Rabbi Eli Schlanger, an assistant rabbi at Chabad Bondi Synagogue and a father of five, was held on Wednesday.

He was known for his work for Sydney’s Jewish community through Chabad, a global organisation fostering Jewish identity and connection.

Hundreds of mourners gathered in a Bondi synagogue for the funeral, a few blocks away from the beach where Schlanger was gunned down.

Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, Schlanger's father-in-law, told the service Jewish people should not be scared of visiting Bondi Beach in the wake of the mass shooting.

He said local rabbis would organise an event for the end of Hanukkah to light eight candles this Sunday at the scene of the tragedy. (Reuters)
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Last updated: 2025-12-17 HKT 17:23