Arabic version: المحكمة ترفض طلب إخفاء أسماء عائلة المشتبه به في إطلاق النار

The alleged gunman involved in the Bondi shooting has lost his court bid to keep the names and addresses of his family members private. Naveed Akram, who faces 59 charges related to December’s attack on a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach that killed 15 people, argued that his family could be targeted by vigilantes due to the public outrage surrounding the case. According to BBC News, lawyers for Akram claimed that his family had already faced abuse.

Initially, a Sydney court had imposed an interim order to suppress the family’s details. However, this order was lifted after several media outlets challenged it. The judge noted the case’s unprecedented public interest, stating that information about Akram’s family was already widely available online. Judge Hugh Donnelly emphasized that the request for a suppression order lasting 40 years did not meet the necessary exceptional circumstances and would have limited effectiveness.

During the hearing, it was revealed that Akram’s family had received threats and experienced harassment, with people reportedly driving past their home and shouting abusive remarks. Akram appeared via video link from a high-security prison, where he is currently detained. His mother expressed in a statement her fears for her family’s safety, stating, “We live in constant fear someone will harm us or set our house on fire.”

The court ultimately determined that the names and workplaces of Akram’s siblings were unlikely to be relevant to the ongoing legal proceedings. The judge remarked that suppressing their identities would not substantially enhance their safety, given the widespread knowledge of the family’s situation.