The surviving suspect in the terror attack on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, was formally charged Wednesday with 15 counts of murder and committing a terrorist act. Naveed Akram, 24, woke up from a coma but remained hospitalized under police guard for his first court hearing. He did not enter a p lea, and his case was paused until April. Investigators are still attempting to find any prior indication that Naveed and his 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram, were planning such an attack. In total, 15 people were killed and 40 others wounded in the massacre, which targeted a Chanukah celebration. Family members of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed in the December 14 Bondi beach shooting attack, lean over his coffin during his funeral at the Chabad of Bondi Synagogue in Sydney on December 17, 2025. (Photo by Hollie ADAMS / POOL / AFP via Getty Images) Authorities have said the Akrams were motivated by ideology aligning with the Islamic State group. All of the victims identified so far were Jewish, according to police. Naveed Akram was also charged with 40 counts of causing harm with intent to murder and one count of placing explosives near a building. Cops said they found improvised explosive devices in the Akrams’ vehicle. Authorities were investigating a recent trip the Akrams made to the Philippines in November. Sajid and Naveed traveled to the city of Davao in the southern region of Mindanao, according to travel records. They were in the Philippines from Nov. 1 to Nov. 28. Acquaintances said Naveed was a quiet man who rarely missed a day of work, making his month-long absence a curious move, the Guardian reported. People leave floral tributes at the promenade of Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 17, 2025, to honor victims of the shooting that took place there on December 14. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP via Getty Images) Mindanao was previously a hotbed for Islamic extremist groups, but their power has been significantly weakened in the past decade due to various actions by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Leaders insisted there were no foreign terrorist groups still operating in the region. Naveed Akram was previously on a watch list in Australia, but was removed after a six-month investigation, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. That prior designation did not stop his father from legally acquiring six firearms. Sajid Akram, a native of Hyderabad, India, arrived in Australia in 1998 on a student visa and became a permanent resident in 2001. Naveed Akram was born in Australia that year. With News Wire services ...read more read less