Alleged Bondi Beach gunman to be charged within hours, Australia PM says

SYDNEY — A man accused of carrying out Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in three decades will be formally charged later Wednesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, as funerals for the Jewish victims of Sunday’s attack began.

The alleged father-and-son attackers opened fire during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach on Sunday, an incident that shocked the nation and heightened fears over rising antisemitism and violent extremism.

Police said 50-year-old Sajid Akram was shot dead at the scene, while his 24-year-old son, identified by local media as Naveed, emerged from a coma on Wednesday after also being shot by officers.

“He will be charged formally — if he hasn’t been already — and I would expect that to take place over the coming hours,” Albanese said during a podcast interview Wednesday morning.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said investigators plan to question the son once his medication wears off and legal counsel is present. He remains hospitalized in Sydney under heavy police guard.

Authorities revealed that the accused men had traveled weeks earlier to the southern Philippines, a region long plagued by Islamist militancy. Australian police believe the attack was inspired by Islamic State ideology.

Funerals for Jewish victims begin

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

Schlanger was widely known for his work within Sydney’s Jewish community through Chabad, a global organization promoting Jewish identity and connection. Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin said Schlanger regularly visited prisons and met Jewish residents in Sydney’s public housing communities.

Albanese did not say whether he would attend any of the funerals.

“I would attend anything that I’m invited to. These funerals are about farewelling people’s loved ones,” he told ABC Radio.

The prime minister is facing criticism that his center-left government failed to adequately address rising antisemitism in Australia during the two-year Israel-Gaza conflict.

“We will work with the Jewish community. We want to stamp out and eradicate antisemitism from our society,” Albanese told reporters.

The government and intelligence agencies are also under pressure to explain how Sajid Akram was able to legally acquire the high-powered rifles and shotguns used in the attack. Officials have already promised sweeping reforms to gun laws.

Albanese added that the suspect’s son was briefly investigated by Australia’s domestic intelligence agency in 2019 over alleged links to Islamic State, but authorities found no evidence at the time that he posed a threat.

Man hailed as hero to undergo surgery

Albanese said Ahmed al-Ahmed, 43, who tackled one of the gunmen to disarm him and suffered gunshot wounds, was scheduled to undergo surgery Wednesday.

Al-Ahmed’s uncle, Mohammed al-Ahmed, speaking from Syria, said his nephew left his hometown in Idlib province nearly 20 years ago to seek work in Australia.

“We learned what happened through social media. I called his father and he told me it was Ahmed. Ahmed is a hero, and we are proud of him. Syria is proud of him,” he told Reuters.

The family of 22-year-old police officer Jack Hibbert, who was shot twice during the attack, said he lost vision in one eye and faces a “long and challenging recovery.” Hibbert had been on the police force for only four months.

“In the face of a violent and tragic incident, he responded with courage, instinct, and selflessness, continuing to protect others while injured until he was physically unable to continue,” the family said in a statement.

Health authorities said 22 people remain hospitalized across Sydney.

Holocaust survivor among victims

Victims of the shooting included a Holocaust survivor, a married couple who first approached the attackers before gunfire erupted, and a 10-year-old girl named Matilda, according to officials and media reports.

Albanese paid tribute to Boris and Sofia Gurman, who were killed during the attack.

“Boris attacked one of the terrorists as he got out of the car, and that led to Mr. and Mrs. Gurman losing their lives,” the prime minister said.

Matilda’s father told a vigil at Bondi Beach on Tuesday night that he did not want his daughter’s legacy to be forgotten.

“We came here from Ukraine, and I thought Matilda was the most Australian name that could exist. Just remember her name — remember Matilda,” local media quoted him as saying.

On Wednesday, swimmers gathered at Bondi Beach and observed a minute of silence.

“This week has been incredibly profound,” said Archie Kalaf, a 24-year-old Bondi resident. “This morning you could really feel the community coming together. Everyone is grieving and processing it in their own way.” -Reporting by Scott Murdoch and Renju Jose in Sydney; Additional reporting by Christine ChenWriting by Alasdair Pal; Editing by Howard Goller and Lincoln Feast/Reuters