Lawyers for the gunman accused of carrying out a mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach have asked a court to prevent media outlets from publishing identifying details about his family.
The request was made on Monday at Downing Centre Local Court on behalf of Naveed Akram, 24, who police allege opened fire during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on 14 December, killing 15 people and injuring dozens in what authorities say was Australia’s deadliest terrorist attack.
Mr Akram did not appear in court for the brief hearing. Instead, a barrister from his publicly funded defence team sought a suppression order covering his mother, brother, and sister.
The proposed restrictions would block publication of their names as well as their home and work addresses.
The magistrate, Greg Grogin, granted a temporary order while the issue is considered further. The application was made on the grounds of protecting the relatives’ wellbeing, with the magistrate saying it had been requested on the basis of “not only their mental safety but their physical safety”.
The order is expected to be reviewed next week after several media organisations signalled they would challenge it.
During the hearing, a lawyer representing media outlets argued the restrictions would be ineffective because the identities of some family members had already been widely reported. As Mr Grogin himself observed in court, “the horse has bolted”, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Police allege Akram carried out the attack alongside his father, Sajid Akram, who was shot dead by officers at the scene. Investigators say the pair targeted families attending a Hanukkah festival at Archer Park near Bondi beach.
Authorities claim the father and son planned the attack over several weeks, training with firearms at rural properties and recording videos promoting extremist ideology linked to the Isis militant group.
Prosecutors allege the shooting was carried out as part of a joint criminal enterprise inspired by the group.
Mr Akram has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, multiple counts of wounding with intent to murder and a terrorism offence. He has not yet entered a plea.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by his surviving relatives. However, the case has drawn intense public attention as investigators examine whether any warning signs emerged before the attack.
The case will briefly return to court next week before a longer hearing scheduled for April, when prosecutors are expected to outline their evidence.
In January, prime minister Anthony Albanese announced a royal commission into the deadly shooting at Bondi beach, following weeks of mounting pressure to launch the highest form of public inquiry.
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