Alleged Bondi gunman Naveed Akram transferred to Goulburn Supermax

Melbourne, 5 January: Authorities have moved alleged Bondi Beach shooter Naveed Akram to Goulburn Supermax, New South Wales’ most secure correctional facility, as he awaits trial on multiple terrorism and murder charges.

The 24-year-old was transferred on Monday to the High Risk Management Correctional Centre (HRMCC), located about 190 kilometres southwest of Sydney. He will be held in protective custody due to the extreme security risks surrounding his case.

Akram is facing 59 criminal charges, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder, and one count of committing a terrorist act, following the December 14 mass shooting at Bondi Beach, which targeted Jewish people celebrating Chanukah by the Sea.

He was previously being held at Long Bay Correctional Complex after being discharged from North Shore Hospital, where he was treated for gunshot wounds sustained during the police operation. Bail was refused in December, and he remains on remand.

While the NSW Government did not formally confirm the transfer, a spokesperson said the state’s correctional system prioritises public safety.

“The High Risk Management Correctional Centre is the most secure prison in New South Wales and is equipped to house inmates who pose the highest level of risk,” the spokesperson said.
“Corrective Services takes the management of serious offenders extremely seriously.”

Goulburn Supermax has previously housed some of Australia’s most dangerous offenders, including serial killer Ivan Milat, fugitive Malcolm Naden, and convicted terrorist Bourhan Hraichie.

Police allege detailed planning and extremist motivation

Investigators allege that Akram and his father, Sajid Akram, who was later shot dead by police, carried out reconnaissance at Bondi Beach two days before the attack.

According to police documents, CCTV footage shows the pair arriving at a nearby car park around 9.30pm on December 12 and walking across the same footbridge where the shooting later occurred.

Police claim this demonstrates planning and preparation for a terrorist act.

Authorities further allege that both men were influenced by Islamic State-linked extremist ideology. Videos obtained by investigators reportedly show the pair taking part in firearms training in a rural area believed to be in NSW.

In another recording, the two are said to appear in front of an Islamic State flag, making statements explaining their political and religious motivations for the alleged attack. In one clip, Akram is reportedly seen reciting verses from the Quran with multiple firearms visible behind him.

Akram has not yet entered pleas to any of the charges.

Former police officer warns of firearms control failures

Retired NSW police officer Wayne Jackson has said the tragedy was the result of long-standing weaknesses in Australia’s firearms monitoring system.

Mr Jackson, who spent decades working in the NSW Firearms Registry, said the system focuses more on paperwork compliance than on genuine risk assessment.

He warned there is effectively no limit on how many guns an individual can legally own and that thousands of new permits and licence applications are approved each month.

“We are flooding the community with firearms and then relying on frontline officers to police it, even though many are not fully trained in firearms compliance,” he said.

Mr Jackson said it was possible for individuals to legally hold hundreds or even thousands of weapons, raising serious concerns about public safety and enforcement capacity.

“The registry approves and releases firearms, then walks away. Police on the ground are left to manage an impossible workload.”