Alleged Bondi Gunman Fears for His Family's Safety

The man accused in Australia's deadliest shooting in nearly three decades is asking a court to shield his family from the international glare. Lawyers for 24-year-old Naveed Akram, charged with dozens of offenses including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist attack over the Dec. 14 attack on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, on Monday sought a ban on media naming or publishing the addresses and workplaces of his mother, brother, and sister, per the BBC. A Sydney magistrate authorized a temporary order, saying there was "absolutely no reason" Akram's relatives "should have their lives put in the arena," per ABC Australia. But he also questioned whether "the horse already bolted" since Akram's mother had previously spoken to the media.

Represented in court, News Corp Australia signaled it will likely challenge the order when the case returns to court next week on the basis that the "very high threshold" for the order has not been met. Akram's lawyer countered that the family had already faced threats, per ABC. Akram, critically injured in the incident and yet to enter a plea, has spoken only once in court, uttering affirmatives during a prior hearing on other suppression orders. He did not appear Monday, in person or virtually. His father, Sajid Akram, was killed in a shootout with police at the scene. Prosecutors say the two alleged gunmen were inspired by the Islamic State group but acted independently in the country's worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur attack in 1996, which killed 35.