A MAN suspected of carrying out the Sydney’s Bondi Beach massacre was charged with 59 offences including 15 charges of murder today.

This came as hundreds of mourners gathered in Sydney to begin funerals for the victims.

Naveed Akram is suspected of being one of two shooters that slaughtered 15 people on Sunday in an anti-semitic mass shooting targeting Jews celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach, and more than 20 other people are still being treated in hospitals.

Police said Mr Akram, was charged on Wednesday after waking from a coma in a Sydney hospital, where he has been since police shot him and his gunman father at Bondi.

His father Sajid Akram, believed to have been the other shooter, died at the scene.

The charges include one count of murder for each fatality and one count of committing a terrorist act.

Mr Akram was also charged with 40 counts of causing harm with intent to murder in relation to the wounded and with placing an explosive near a building with intent to cause harm.

Police said that the Akrams’ car, which was found at the crime scene, contained improvised explosive devices.

As investigations into the shootings continued, the funerals of the victims began to take place today.

The first was for Eli Schlanger, who served as the assistant rabbi at Chabad-Lubavitch of Bondi and organised Sunday’s Chanukah by the Sea event where the attack unfolded.

“After what happened, my biggest regret was — apart from, obviously, the obvious — I could have done more to tell Eli more often how much we love him, how much I love him, how much we appreciate everything that he does and how proud we are of him,” said Mr Schlanger’s father-in-law, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman.

“I hope he knew that. I’m sure he knew it,” Rabbi Ulman said. “But I think it should’ve been said more often.”