The leader of the Australian state of New South Wales said on Wednesday he will recall parliament next week to pass wide-ranging reforms of gun and protest laws, days after the country’s deadliest mass shooting in three decades.
The alleged father-and-son perpetrators, 50-year-old Sajid Akram and 24-year-old Naveed Akram, opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach on Sunday, in an attack that shook the nation and intensified fears of rising anti-Semitism and violent extremism.
Funerals of the Jewish victims of Sunday’s attack began on Wednesday, amid anger over how the gunmen — one of whom was briefly investigated for links to extremists — were allowed access to powerful firearms.
On Tuesday, it emerged that Sajid was originally from the Indian city of Hyderabad, with police saying his family did not know about his “radical mindset”.
Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales state where the attack took place, told a news conference on Wednesday that parliament would return on December 22 to hear “urgent” reforms, including capping the number of firearms allowed by a single person and making certain types of shotguns harder to access.
The state government will also look at reforms making it harder to hold large street protests after terror events, in order to prevent further tensions.
“We’ve got a monumental task in front of us. It’s huge,” he said.
“It’s a huge responsibility to pull the community together. I think we need a summer of calm and togetherness, not division.”
Surviving alleged shooter to be charged soon
Sajid, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene, while his 24-year-old son Naveed emerged from a coma on Tuesday afternoon after also being shot by police.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said earlier on Wednesday the surviving gunman would be charged within hours, but New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told a news conference the force was still waiting for medication to wear off before formally questioning him.
