An Australian man accused of killing 15 people in an anti-Semitic mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach will face several additional charges, court officials said Wednesday.
Navid A. was accused of opening fire along with his father on families celebrating the Jewish holiday Hanukkah last December.
A 24-year-old man was shot and injured, while his 50-year-old father died after police responded to the massacre.
What are the new charges in the Bondi Beach shooting?
Naved A has already been charged with 59 cases, including attempt to murder and terrorist acts.
Court records released on Wednesday revealed he now faces 19 additional charges – including 10 counts of discharging a firearm with intent to murder, wounding with intent to murder and six counts of discharging a firearm with intent to resist arrest.
The charges were released as public hearings began following an intense investigation into Australia’s worst alleged terrorist attack and deadliest mass shooting in three decades.
The massacre prompted Australia to announce gun law reforms.
According to Australian police, the shooting was inspired by the “Islamic State (IS)” group.
Those killed in the attack included an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, a couple who confronted the two attackers, and a 10-year-old girl.
Police documents released after the attack said the father-son duo had undergone “firearms training” in a rural area and had “meticulously planned” the attack for months.
Police said the suspects had also recorded a video in October sitting in front of an “IS” flag, railing against “Zionists” and detailing their motivations for the attack.
The suspect has not yet filed a plea
Navid A is currently being held in a high security prison and has not yet been required to file a petition.
He was due to appear in Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court on Wednesday via video link from jail.
A procedural hearing was scheduled to consider a gag order that suppresses the identities of victims and survivors of the attack who have chosen not to be publicly identified.
Editor’s note: DW follows the German press code, which emphasizes the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected perpetrators or victims and urges us to avoid disclosing full names in many cases.
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko