Bondi attack suspect’s family members tell Australian court they fear for their lives

He allegedly went on a killing spree along with his father, who was killed by police on the scene.

It was Australia’s worst mass shooting since 1996.

Mr Akram is seeking a gag order preventing the publication of the names or photos of his mother, brother and sister as well as the addresses of their homes, places of work and schooling to ensure their safety, his lawyer Richard Wilson told the court.

A magistrate at the Downing Centre Local Court last week granted a temporary suppression order shielding the names and addresses of Mr Akram’s family members, citing concerns for their mental and physical safety.

The lawyer said Mr Akram's family had been receiving death threats in person as well as via phone and text message. Their home in the western Sydney had been targeted by "vigilantes", Mr Wilson added.

"They have had the intended effect of causing fear," he said, telling the court the family thought they were at risk of physical harm.

Mr Akram was charged with "the most serious and the most notorious terrorist attack this country has ever seen", Mr Wilson noted, putting his family at risk from "misguided and angry" members of the public.

The lawyer said the "outpouring of public grief, public outrage, and public anger at what he and his father allegedly did are unprecedented, extraordinary and absolutely understandable". "However, there is no suggestion the defendant's mother, brother or sister had anything to do with it," he said.

He also said allowing identifying details to continue to be published could expose them to vigilante violence.

Appearing via video link from jail, Mr Akram spoke only to confirm he could hear the proceedings. Dressed in a prison uniform with his hair closely cropped, he remained impassive throughout the hearing, keeping his head down for much of the time.

In a written statement to the court, his mother said that vehicles had been driving past their home, with people shouting abuse and issuing death threats.

She recalled that a group of men knocked on her door late at night but left before police arrived, and that eggs and pork chops had been thrown at the house. “We live in constant fear someone will harm us or set our house on fire. I fear for my life and the lives of my children," she said.

Pork is considered ”haram” or not permissible under Islam.

The proposed gag order is facing a challenge from several Australian media groups on the grounds of public interest. Appearing on their behalf, lawyer Matthew Lewis said on Tuesday that protecting the principle of open justice in the case would have a "therapeutic effect" for the country.

The identities of Mr Akram's family and their home address were already widely known, he argued, and his mother had given an interview to a local newspaper shortly after the attack. “The cat is well and truly out of the bag," Mr Lewis said.

A judgment on the suppression order is expected on 2 April.

Mr Akram is charged with 15 counts of murder, 40 of wounding with intent to murder, and a terror offence.

His father, Sajid Akram, who police said participated in the shooting, was shot dead at the scene. Police said the two men were inspired by the Islamic State militant group to carry out the attack using weapons the elder Akram had legally acquired.

Police also alleged that a “tennis ball bomb” and three pipe bombs were thrown into the crowd before the pair opened fire. None of the bombs detonated, but they were deemed viable during preliminary police analysis.

In December, court documents made public police allegations that the father and son had visited the area for “reconnaissance and planning” in the days before the attack.