Bondi Beach Attack Case Against Alleged Gunman Adjourned to February

The criminal case against Naveed Akram, accused over the attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, has been postponed until 24 February. Judge Karen Stafford granted the delay on Wednesday at the Downing Centre Local Court. Prosecutor Danielle New applied for the adjournment, and Akram's defence did not oppose it.

An adjournment is a formal postponement of a court hearing to a later date. Prosecutors expect to be ready to certify the charges, a procedural step in the case, by 24 February. Akram, who is 24 years old, has not yet entered a plea.

The attack happened on 14 December at a Hanukah festival on Bondi Beach. Police allege that Akram and his father, Sajid Akram, 50, opened fire on the event, killing 15 people and injuring 40 others. Sajid Akram was shot and killed by police at the scene. Naveed Akram survived a shootout with police there.

Akram has been charged with 78 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act. The New South Wales Joint Counter Terrorism Team first charged him with 59 offences in December, and 19 more were added in April. The charges are both federal, known as Commonwealth offences, and offences under New South Wales state law.

Police have described the planning behind the attack. In a December fact sheet, they alleged that the two men spent many months planning it, including making an ISIS-inspired video, training with firearms and making explosives. Police also allege that the pair visited Bondi two days before the attack and went to the footbridge from which they allegedly fired on the festival. Investigators have said the attack may have been "inspired by Isis."

The prosecution's brief of evidence, the material gathered to support the charges, is large. It includes thousands of witness statements, medical records, financial statements, records of purchases made by the Akrams, and footage from Bondi Beach on the evening of the attack. Prosecutor Danielle New told the court that the joint counter-terrorism team had carried out an investigation of unprecedented size.

The case has drawn attention to the Akram family's circumstances before. In March, a court heard that the family of the accused feared for their safety. The next hearing is set for 24 February.