Accused Bondi killer Naveed Akram appears in court by video link

SYDNEY: Accused Bondi Beach killer Naveed Akram appeared in a Sydney court via video link on Monday, in his first public hearing.

Akram and his father, Sajid, allegedly attacked a Jewish Hanukkah celebration in December in the nation's worst mass shooting in nearly three decades.

Akram has been charged with terrorism and 15 counts of murder. Sajid was shot and killed by police during the attack.

He appeared for about five minutes via video link from prison, according to a statement from the court and local media.

Akram wore a green jumper during the hearing, which dealt mostly with technical matters such as suppressing the identification of some victims, local media said.

He reportedly spoke only one word — "yeah" — when asked by the judge whether he had heard a discussion about the extension of suppression orders.

Speaking outside the court, Akram's lawyer Ben Archbold said his client was being held in "very onerous conditions," ABC said.

He also said it was too early to say whether Akram would plead guilty.

Among the victims of December's attack were an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, a couple who confronted one of the gunmen, and a 10-year-old girl, Matilda, who was described at her funeral as a "ray of sunshine."

According to the BBC, border authorities in Manila said that Akram travelled to the Philippines using an Australian passport, while his father, Sajid, used an Indian passport