Bondi shooter appears in court
A court sketch depicts accused Bondi shooter Naveed Akram appearing via video link from Goulburn Supermax prison, at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (Rocco Fazzari/AAP Image via AP)
A man accused of killing 15 people in a mass shooting at a Jewish festival on Sydney’s Bondi Beach appeared in court Monday for the first time since his release from the hospital. Naveed Akram appeared in Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court via a video link from the maximum security Goulburn Correctional Center 200 kilometers away. He did not enter pleas to the charges against him, including murder and committing a terrorist act. The brief court appearance focused on extending a gag order that suppresses the identities of victims and survivors of the attack who have not chosen to identify themselves publicly. Defence lawyer Ben Archbold told reporters that Akram was doing well and it was too early to indicate any intention of pleas.
