First funerals held for Bondi Beach massacre victims as alleged shooter is charged with murder and terror offenses

By Helen Regan, CNN

(CNN) — The first funerals for some of the 15 people killed in Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost three decades took place on Wednesday as police brought murder and terror charges against one of the alleged gunmen.

There were emotional scenes outside the Chabad of Bondi in Sydney, where large crowds paid their respects ahead of the service for Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed in Sunday’s massacre that targeted Jewish families celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.

Family members wept as Schlanger’s coffin, draped in black velour bearing a gold Star of David, was wheeled into the synagogue.

Schlanger, 41, organized the “Chanukah by the Sea” event at Bondi Beach and served as assistant rabbi at the Chabad of Bondi. He was a father of five, whose youngest son is only two months old.

Known as the “Bondi Rabbi,” Schlanger has been described as a devoted and beloved chaplain who worked tirelessly “to support Jewish life in the Bondi community” through Chabad, a global Jewish organization that seeks to promote Jewish identity and connection, the organization said.

During the service, Schlanger’s father-in-law broke down in tears as he described him as “the best husband, the best father, the best son.”

“Whatever I say today will be an understatement to what you mean to everyone and to your family and to me personally,” Rabbi Yehoram Ulman said. “You are my son, my friend, my confidant.”

“A day without you is impossible.”

Ahead of the funeral, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters that Schlanger “was clearly much loved in the community, not just by his family as well.”

“I think all Australians’ thoughts and hearts are with those families as they go through farewelling their loved ones,” he said.

The funerals of Reuven Morrison, 62, Peter Meagher, and Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, 39, are also scheduled to be held Wednesday.

Charges brought

Hours after Schlanger’s funeral, the man who allegedly carried out the massacre alongside his father was charged by Australian police with 59 offenses.

Naveed Akram, 24, was charged with 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and other charges including committing a terrorist act, police said Wednesday.

Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police while Naveed was shot and taken to hospital. Mal Lanyon, police commissioner of New South Wales state, said that authorities were waiting for him to be in a lucid enough state to be charged after he woke from a coma on Tuesday.

“We will look to proceed with him in the hospital, from there he will be transferred to a correctional facility,” Lanyon said.

Australian authorities say the alleged attackers were driven by “Islamic State ideology,” and Australian counterterrorism officials believe the pair underwent military-style training while in the southern Philippines last month, in an area known for Islamist extremism, public broadcaster ABC reported on Tuesday.

Sajid Akram was a licensed gun owner, sparking questions since the massacre about whether Australia’s already tight gun laws, which are set at a state level, require further tightening.

Leaders in New South Wales, where Sydney is located, are drafting new legislation to tighten restrictions, and the state parliament is being recalled to weigh in ahead of the Christmas holidays.

The indiscriminate shooting on one of the most festive days of the Jewish calendar took the lives of multiple generations, from a 10-year-old girl to a Holocaust survivor.

State premier Chris Minns said Wednesday that a proposed bill would cap the number of firearms an individual can own, reclassify straight pull-up and pump action shot guns, reduce magazine capacity for shot guns and prohibit belt-fed magazines in shotguns. The state will also push to remove an appeal mechanism once a gun license has been withdrawn.

The funerals come as Sydney residents continued a massive outpouring of grief and support, laying flowers and lighting candles at the Bondi Pavilion, next to the world-famous beach where Sunday’s massacre unfolded.

That massacre followed a wave of antisemitic attacks in Australian cities – arson and vandalism against Jewish sites and property, particularly in the wake of Israel’s war in Gaza. Australia’s Jewish leaders had been urging the government for years to do more to address rising antisemitism in the country.

Albanese said earlier Wednesday he wants to “eradicate antisemitism” from society and that he is ready to revisit legislation to help do so. The prime minister told ABC it is “hard to legislate against such massive hatred” but that he is ready to update legislation like Australia’s hate speech laws and give law enforcement and intelligence agencies “whatever powers are necessary.”

Other measures proposed by state leaders includes restricting mass protests once a terrorism designation has been declared.

Speaking at a Hanukkah celebration at the White House, US President Donald Trump began with a message of solidarity to Australia’s Jewish community.

“As we celebrate the third night of Hanukkah… let me take a moment to send the love and prayers to our entire nation, to the people of Australia, and especially all those affected by the horrific and antisemitic terrorist attack,” Trump told attendees.

More stories of bravery and herosim

In a Wednesday update, New South Wales Health said 21 people injured in the shooting remain hospitalized, with one in critical condition and four others critical but stable.

Among the injured is probationary constable Jack Hibbert, whose family released a statement saying the 22-year-old sustained bullet wounds to the head and shoulder in the attack, and had lost sight in one of his eyes.

“Although miraculously surviving, Jack’s injuries have resulted in a loss of vision in one of his eyes and he now faces a long and challenging recovery ahead, with additional surgeries required,” the family said.

Hibbert, who had only been on the police force for four months, “responded with courage, instinct, and selflessness, continuing to protect and help others whilst injured, until he was physically no longer able to,” the statement said.

Tributes have also poured in for several bystanders who tried to stop the gunmen as the attack unfolded. Dashcam video emerged Tuesday showing a couple in their 60s, Boris and Sofia Gurman, rushing one of the suspected gunmen. Boris Gurman can be seen grappling with the attacker as he exits his car and wrestles the gun away. The Gurmans, a Russian-Jewish couple who lived in Bondi, were killed in the confrontation.

“These are Australian heroes,” Albanese said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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CNN’s Hilary Whiteman, Hira Humayun, Angus Watson, Bex Wright and Kit Maher contributed reporting.