Canberra: A man accused of murdering 15 people in an anti-Semitic mass shooting at Bondi Beach is facing a raft of fresh charges, according to court records released on Wednesday.
Naveed Akram is accused of opening fire as families gathered at Bondi Beach for a Hanukkah celebration in December.
The 24-year-old has already been charged with dozens of serious offences, including 15 counts of murder and committing an act of terrorism.
Court records show he is now facing 19 additional charges, including multiple counts of shooting with intent to murder, wounding with intent to murder, and discharging a firearm with intent to resist arrest.
Akram, who is being held in a high-security prison, has yet to indicate how he will plead.
His father and alleged co-conspirator, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the attack.
The new charges were announced after a wide-ranging inquiry began public hearings into Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in 30 years.
“The sharp spike of anti-Semitism that we have witnessed in Australia has been mirrored in other Western countries and seems clearly linked to events in the Middle East,” said inquiry chief Virginia Bell in opening remarks earlier this week.
“It’s important that people understand how quickly those events can prompt ugly displays of hostility towards Jewish Australians simply because they are Jews,” she added.
The mass shooting has triggered national reflection on anti-Semitism and widespread anger over failures to protect Jewish Australians.
Australia announced a range of gun law reforms in response to the attack, including a nationwide gun buyback scheme.
The buyback scheme has since stalled, as the federal government struggles to secure agreement from the country’s states and territories.
Naveed Akram had been flagged by Australia’s intelligence agency in 2019, but was later deemed not to pose an imminent threat and dropped from close monitoring.
Police documents released after the attack said Akram and his father had undertaken “firearms training” in what is believed to be the New South Wales countryside prior to the shooting.
Authorities said the suspects “meticulously planned” the attack over several months, releasing images that showed them firing shotguns and moving in what was described as a “tactical manner.”
Police also said the pair recorded a video in October in which they railed against “Zionists” while seated in front of a flag associated with Islamic State, outlining their motivations for the attack.