Bondi shooting as it happened: Court releases new allegations against Bondi gunman; Hate speech reform to face scrutiny

Australia has entered its second week grappling with the terror attack on Sunday, December 14, when two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more.

Here’s what you need to know tonight:

• The full case against the Bondi shooters can be revealed after the media advocated for the release of court documents that allege the father and son trained in Australia for their attacks. A police alleged fact sheet, released by the court, includes photographs of Naveed and Sajid Akram training for the attack in a countryside location, suspected to be NSW. There is also alleged evidence that the two men meticulously planned the attack for many months, by training, making explosive devices and making IS flags.
• Protesters have gathered in Sydney and Melbourne in response to plans announced in both states to restrict protests after terror attacks, with some attendees in Sydney chanting “globalise the intifada”.
• A funeral for one of the victims of the mass shooting was held on Monday morning at Chevra Kashida Memorial Hall. Dan Elkayam, a 27-year-old French engineer, was living in Sydney with his partner, and was in attendance at the Hanukkah festival when the gunmen opened fire. He was described by friends and family as “humble and loving”.
• Twelve people remain in hospital, and four remain in a critical but stable condition.
• Accused Bondi terrorist Naveed Akram has been transferred from hospital to a correctional centre.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he understood anger being directed towards him at Sunday’s vigil, and apologised for “what the Jewish community and our nation as a whole has experienced”.
• Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has called on Albanese to meet with her to review drafted terms for a Commonwealth-led royal commission into the terror attack. Demands for a royal commission come after Albanese announced that former intelligence chief Dennis Richardson will lead a review of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to examine their performance in the lead-up to the attack.
• Ley also launched an extraordinary attack on Foreign Minister Penny Wong this morning. Ley raised her voice and smacked the lectern during a press conference, while she criticised the minister’s behaviour and absence in Sydney since last Sunday. “I haven’t seen Penny Wong on the streets of Bondi. I haven’t seen Penny Wong at the vigil for 15 innocent murdered Australians. I didn’t see Penny Wong at Bondi last night at the eighth night of Hanukkah. I didn’t see Penny Wong attend a single funeral. I haven’t seen Penny Wong shed a single tear,” she told reporters.
• NSW Premier Chris Minns will subject hate speech legislation introduced today to further scrutiny, announcing that the reforms will be referred to a parliamentary committee. It comes as Minns reiterates his responsibility to “knit together our community” amid concerns of retribution or vigilantism following last Sunday’s attack. He signalled that there will be further reform to support public safety in the new year.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s approval rating has fallen in the aftermath of the terror attack as social cohesion frays, polling by this masthead reveals. The PM met with cabinet today and also convened a meeting of the national security committee.
• Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announced further steps to fight antisemitism this afternoon, including reforms that will look to bolster hate speech laws, give police more powers to crack down on protesters, and reassess gun laws.

We will continue to bring you the latest on the response to the Bondi terror attack.

A woman has been charged for allegedly intimidating a group of Jewish students.

The alleged intimidation occurred in October on the University of Sydney campus at Darlington.

The students and other members of the Jewish community were celebrating the Sukkot holiday when a 53-year-old woman allegedly yelled antisemitic comments.

She was arrested and charged on Monday with two counts of stalking or intimidating intending another to fear physical harm and one count of offensive conduct.

The woman has been granted conditional bail to face Newtown Local Court on February 3.

NSW Police said in a statement the matter was reported to officers in October and an investigation commenced that same month.

Australia has entered its second week grappling with the terror attack on Sunday, December 14, when two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more.

Here’s what you need to know tonight:

• The full case against the Bondi shooters can be revealed after the media advocated for the release of court documents that allege the father and son trained in Australia for their attacks. A police alleged fact sheet, released by the court, includes photographs of Naveed and Sajid Akram training for the attack in a countryside location, suspected to be NSW. There is also alleged evidence that the two men meticulously planned the attack for many months, by training, making explosive devices and making IS flags.
• Protesters have gathered in Sydney and Melbourne in response to plans announced in both states to restrict protests after terror attacks, with some attendees in Sydney chanting “globalise the intifada”.
• A funeral for one of the victims of the mass shooting was held on Monday morning at Chevra Kashida Memorial Hall. Dan Elkayam, a 27-year-old French engineer, was living in Sydney with his partner, and was in attendance at the Hanukkah festival when the gunmen opened fire. He was described by friends and family as “humble and loving”.
• Twelve people remain in hospital, and four remain in a critical but stable condition.
• Accused Bondi terrorist Naveed Akram has been transferred from hospital to a correctional centre.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he understood anger being directed towards him at Sunday’s vigil, and apologised for “what the Jewish community and our nation as a whole has experienced”.
• Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has called on Albanese to meet with her to review drafted terms for a Commonwealth-led royal commission into the terror attack. Demands for a royal commission come after Albanese announced that former intelligence chief Dennis Richardson will lead a review of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to examine their performance in the lead-up to the attack.
• Ley also launched an extraordinary attack on Foreign Minister Penny Wong this morning. Ley raised her voice and smacked the lectern during a press conference, while she criticised the minister’s behaviour and absence in Sydney since last Sunday. “I haven’t seen Penny Wong on the streets of Bondi. I haven’t seen Penny Wong at the vigil for 15 innocent murdered Australians. I didn’t see Penny Wong at Bondi last night at the eighth night of Hanukkah. I didn’t see Penny Wong attend a single funeral. I haven’t seen Penny Wong shed a single tear,” she told reporters.
• NSW Premier Chris Minns will subject hate speech legislation introduced today to further scrutiny, announcing that the reforms will be referred to a parliamentary committee. It comes as Minns reiterates his responsibility to “knit together our community” amid concerns of retribution or vigilantism following last Sunday’s attack. He signalled that there will be further reform to support public safety in the new year.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s approval rating has fallen in the aftermath of the terror attack as social cohesion frays, polling by this masthead reveals. The PM met with cabinet today and also convened a meeting of the national security committee.
• Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announced further steps to fight antisemitism this afternoon, including reforms that will look to bolster hate speech laws, give police more powers to crack down on protesters, and reassess gun laws.

We will continue to bring you the latest on the response to the Bondi terror attack.

Accused Bondi terrorist Naveed Akram has been transferred to a correctional centre.

NSW Police confirmed the transfer in a statement on Monday afternoon.

“Officers attached to Traffic and Highway Patrol, Pol Air, and the Public Order and Riot Squad, have assisted Corrective Services NSW with the transfer of a 24‑year‑old prisoner from a North Shore hospital to a correctional facility,” the statement said.

Akram has been transferred from the Royal North Shore Hospital to Long Bay Correctional Complex at Malabar in Sydney’s east.

The complex houses the Long Bay Hospital, a maximum security facility for medical and psychiatric cases, as well as remanded inmates.

The prime minister has defended his decision not to launch a federal royal commission, saying the terms of the Coalition’s draft inquiry released this morning were unrealistic.

“If you have a look at the broader issues that are proposed by the opposition, into education, the arts, culture, migration, the full suite of employment into the university sector, into home affairs, into the relationship between the Commonwealth and states and the nature of our federation … if anyone suggests that it is possible that that will report any time this term, let alone years and years to come – every royal commission has asked for an extension of time,” Anthony Albanese told reporters in Canberra.

He said running multiple royal commissions alongside a review by former intelligence chief Dennis Richardson into Australia’s federal intelligence agencies would delay action.

“The Richardson review will enable action to take place. It will report, as I have said, before April. That review can feed into any royal commission that is established in NSW, that the federal government will co-operate with,” he said.