Police in Australia said on Tuesday Surviving suspected gunman charged The man who opened fire at a Jewish event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach has been charged with 59 offences, including a terrorism charge.
Naved A.*, who was shot by security forces during the attack, woke up from a coma on Tuesday.
He and his father reportedly opened fire on the crowd, killing 15 and injuring dozens. His father was killed by the police during the attack.
Australian authorities said the suspects had links to the so-called “Islamic State”. He spent much of the past month in the southern Philippines, a region known for Islamic extremism.
According to immigration authorities in Australia, the Philippines and India, the father was originally from India and held Australian residency, while the son was born in Australia.
Here are the charges the suspect will face:
- 15 cases of murder
- committing terrorist acts
- 40 cases of wounding/causing grievous bodily harm to a person with intent to murder
- Using a firearm to cause serious bodily harm
- Public display of symbol of banned terrorist organization
- Placing explosives in/near a building with intent to cause harm
First funeral for attack victims
Australia held the first funerals for the 15 victims of the country’s worst mass shooting in nearly three decades.
The first service was for Rabbi Eli Snarker of Chabad-Lubavitch of Bondi, who organized a Chanukah event Sunday on the beach where the attack occurred.
“After everything that happened, my biggest regret was that — obviously, besides the obvious — I could have made more of an effort to tell Eli how much we love him, how much I love him, how much we appreciate everything he does and how proud we are of him,” said Stanger’s father-in-law, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman.
Ullman urged Jewish people not to be afraid to visit Bondi Beach or celebrate their faith, despite the shootings.
He said that the attackers want them to get scared.
“But that’s not the answer… We can never let them succeed, but we can become bigger and stronger every time they try to do something.”
New South Wales health officials said 21 injured people were still being treated in hospitals, including five in a serious condition.
New South Wales state to pass emergency gun law
The shootings shocked Australia and raised fears of increased anti-Semitism and extremism.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns declared the attack a terrorist incident on Sunday evening. As a result, federal and state police launched a joint counter-terrorism operation.
Minns said he would convene Parliament next week to pass sweeping reforms to gun and protest laws.
“We have a significant task ahead of us. It is huge,” he said. “Bringing the community together is a big responsibility. I think we need a summer of peace and unity, not division.”
Australia’s Prime Minister vowed to take whatever government action is needed to end anti-Semitism.
“We will work with the Jewish community, we want to eliminate anti-Semitism from our society,” Albanese told reporters.
He agreed with leaders of Australia’s states and territories to “strengthen gun laws across the country”.
Edited by: Elisabeth Schumacher