The second suspect, Akram’s 50-year-old father Sajid, was shot dead by police officers at the scene on Sunday. The younger Akram was critically wounded, police said; earlier Wednesday, they said they were waiting for his condition to stabilize before they brought charges against him.
“It’s important he has appropriate cognitive ability. For his fairness, we need him to understand what is exactly happening,” NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said.
The two suspects are alleged to have targeted the Jewish community by unleashing a volley of bullets at a Hanukkah celebration on the iconic beach. A 10-year-old girl, a Holocaust survivor and a rabbi were among the dead, with dozens more injured.
Two police officers were also injured in the attack, NSW Police said. Five people were still in critical condition Wednesday, New South Wales’ health department said Wednesday.
The local council on Wednesday called on the community to light a candle every night at 6:47 p.m. — around the time of the attack on Sunday — to honor the victims for the duration of the Hanukkah festival, which ends Monday.
The massacre at a beach that is a free-wheeling symbol of the Australian way of life has sent ripples of shock and grief across the nation.
Police said they had partially opened road access to the area around Bondi Beach but were maintaining a crime scene.
The attack has set off a renewed scrutiny of the country’s already strict gun laws and criticism that the government ignored warning signs amid a spate of antisemitic incidents.
