Bondi Beach shooter transferred from hospital to jail; Albanese vows tougher laws

Australian police on Monday (Dec 22) said that the only surviving suspect in last weekend’s shooting has been transferred from the hospital to jail. The shooter, identified as 24-year-old Naveed Akram, had been receiving treatment in a hospital under police guard. He is facing multiple charges, including terrorism and 15 murders. While his 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram, was killed by Australian officers at the scene.

Meanwhile, court documents released on Monday have revealed new details about the shooting. The two gunmen opened fire at the crowd gathered to celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, killing 15 and injuring over 40, including two police officers. Police have alleged that the accused trained for the attack at an undisclosed location in the Australian countryside, according to the court documents released on Monday.

“The accused and his father are seen throughout the video firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner,” the document states.

The father and son duo also visited Bondi Beach days before the mass shooting for a “reconnaissance” trip, the police documents revealed. The pair also threw four improvised devices at the crowd moments before they started shooting at the crowd, though none of them detonated. Three pipe bombs and a tennis ball bomb were used by them. A fifth suspected bomb was found in the trunk of the vehicle they used to drive to Bondi to carry out the attack.

Albanese apologises to Jewish community, vows tougher laws

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday apologised to the country’s Jewish community over a mass shooting. “As Prime Minister, I feel the weight of responsibility for an atrocity that happened whilst I’m Prime Minister, and I’m sorry for what the Jewish community and our nation as a whole has experienced,” he said. “The government will work every day to protect Jewish Australians, to protect the fundamental right as Australians that they have to be proud of who they are, to practice their faith, to educate their children and to engage in Australian society in the fullest way possible.”

Albanese added that he would push for tougher laws against hate speech and extremism in the aftermath of the country’s deadliest mass shooting in decades.

“We’re not going to let the ISIS inspired terrorists win. We won’t let them divide our society, and we’ll get through this together,” Albanese told reporters.

“Urgency and unity is what we need,” he said. The Australian PM also called for bipartisan support for “creating an aggravated offence for hate preaching” and other new laws.