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‘Bondi terrorist’ hangs head as vigilante threats against family revealed

Perry Duffin - March 17, 2026

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Accused Bondi Beach terrorist Naveed Akram has hung his head after learning his mother and siblings are “under siege” and “living in fear” having been targeted with vigilante death threats and harassment after he allegedly murdered 15 people in Australia’s worst terror attack.

The targeting of the Akram family, who are not accused of any wrongdoing by police, emerged as part of a legal bid to suppress their identities. The move has been opposed by media including this masthead.

Akram, 24, allegedly opened fire on crowds of Jewish families at Chanukah by the Sea in mid-December alongside his father, Sajid.

Sajid, 50, was shot and killed by police. Naveed was badly injured but survived and is now in Goulburn Supermax prison charged with murder and terrorism.

Akram appeared in the Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday via videolink with a freshly shaved head, in a small grey and blue metal room.

His publicly funded barrister, Richard Wilson, asked Magistrate Hugh Donnelly to make final orders that would force media and the public to take down any information identifying Akram’s mother, brother and sister, or their home.

“(Akram) is charged with the most serious and the most notorious terrorist attack this country has ever seen,” Wilson acknowledged.

“The outpouring of public grief, outrage and anger at what he and his father allegedly did are unprecedented, extraordinary and absolutely understandable.

“But there is no suggestion his mother, brother or sister has anything to do with it.”

Akram’s legal team said his surviving family were “under siege” in their Bonnyrigg home in western Sydney, and the continued media attention kept them in the spotlight.

Wilson said the threats began within 24 hours of Naveed’s alleged attack, when someone suggesting on social media people should “torch the house”.

Dozens expressed their support for the comment, the court heard.

Over the following weeks, people would call or message the family with threats and abuse; “die c*nts die” and “are you still alive?” among those aired on Tuesday.

Sometimes utes would drive past slowly with music turned up as occupants shouted more threats from behind tinted windows.

“C*nts we are coming to kill you!” one group called after parking their ute across the Akrams’ driveway.

Earlier this year, a group of large men banged on the Akrams’ door late at night. The family watched them move down the side of the home and called police, but no one was caught.

Around that time, other people were heard inside the Akrams’ garage one night. They told neighbours they were “mechanics” who lived on the street. Police were called but again no one was found.

The following morning, Akram’s mother’s car wouldn’t start.

These are not the actions of “keyboard warriors”, Wilson said, but rather “misguided and dangerous people”, would-be vigilantes and those keen to exact revenge rather than wait for the slow grind of lawful justice.

The family’s “misfortune”, Wilson said, was being related to Australia’s worst accused terrorist.

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Akram, on video, hung his head as his lawyer rattled off the various indignities visited on his family, hiding his eyes from the camera beaming him into the Downing Centre.

His brother had found a bottle of urine thrown in the front yard, and packets of pork chops thrown in the grass as well.

“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,” Akram’s mother wrote in her court document.

“It has taken a significant emotional and physical toll on me.”

Barrister Matt Lewis, SC, acting for a group of media companies including this masthead, told the court it was “futile” to try and suppress the identities of the Akram family.

“This is an unusual case in that, shortly after attack, (Akram’s) driver’s licence photograph was posted on social media,” Lewis said.

“The cat is well and truly out of the bag.”

Further, Akram’s mother and brother had been the subject of extensive news reports already, including an interview with this masthead on the evening of the terror attack.

Akram’s mother said, in that interview mentioned in court, that she believed her husband and son were on a fishing trip down the South Coast of NSW.

That interview had been picked up by international publications, which the court had no power to constrain.

Suppression and non-publication orders only apply in Australia, and only local news outlets would be forced to take down images and information.

Lewis said open justice was crucial as the nation tried to come to terms with the horror of the attack, and the public had a right to scrutinise how the court treats the fallout.

“Open justice is known to provide a therapeutic effect to the community for raw emotion and hostility,” Lewis said.

“It is exceptionally important this process is given transparency and scrutiny to the nth degree.

“The public require confidence to know the worst terrorism in Australian history will be held to justice.”

The court will hand down its decision on the suppression bid on April 2.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/bondi-terrorist-hangs-head-as-vigilante-threats-against-family-revealed-20260317-p5ob4g.html

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>>24355021

Grace Tame sparks outrage by saying Hamas October 7 terror attack rapes were ‘debunked’

WILLIAM ELLIOTT and THOMAS HENRY - 17 March 2026

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Israel’s embassy in Australia has blasted former Australian of the year Grace Tame for her dismissal of sexual abuse perpetrated by Hamas in the October 7 attacks, claiming she had “lost her moral compass”.

After Ms Tame claimed that testimony from Israeli women of horrific sexual abuse at the hands of Hamas terrorists was “propaganda” that had been “debunked”, the Israeli embassy urged her to watch the testimony and educate herself.

“When you find yourself denying documented sexual violence, turning victims into perpetrators, and drawing false moral equivalences just to fit an anti-Israel or anti-Jewish narrative, you’ve lost your moral compass,” the embassy posted on its social media.

“Israel, like any country, has the right to defend its civilians from Hamas and Iranian attacks. Blinded by self-righteous populism, this isn’t human rights activism. Watch the testimonies. Educate yourself.”

The UN Special Representative on Sexual ­Violence in Conflict had found there were reasonable grounds to believe conflict-related sexual ­violence occurred during the ­attacks.

In an interview with ABC radio, Ms Tame dismissed corroborated reports Israeli women were raped and sexually abused by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023, attack as “propaganda”.

The Former Australian of the Year, appearing on ABC Radio Sydney with host Hamish Macdonald on Monday, said claims about abuse of Israeli women during the massacre “have been debunked”.

“I’m not going to sink to the level of … of entertaining any kind of propaganda, Hamish. Let’s not do that,” Ms Tame said.

Macdonald noted the UN Special Representative on Sexual ­Violence in Conflict had found there were reasonable grounds to believe conflict-related sexual ­violence occurred during the ­attacks. “Are you saying that that is propaganda?” he asked.

Accused of being “selective in her outrage”, Ms Tame said violence had been committed by both sides in the conflict.

“Awful things are being perpetrated by both sides, but this is not about ‘whataboutism’. This is not about selective outrage. I’m outraged by all of the violence. Would that we could get it all to stop,” she said.

“I am a human rights activist who advocates for the safety of all human beings, no matter their background, whether they are Jewish, whether they are Muslims, whether they are Christian, whether they are atheist.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry head of legal Simone Abel said the comments amounted to a denial of the sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas.

“For a survivor of sexual abuse, it is hard to imagine anything worse than another survivor discrediting or denying their abuse,” Ms Abel said.

“Grace Tame has engaged in the ultimate stonewalling by denying the sexual violence perpetrated by terrorist organisation Hamas on October 7.

“In doing so she has shown that she is not an advocate for all survivors of sexual assault, but only an advocate for some.”

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Ms Abel said both the Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the UN Commission of Inquiry had recognised Hamas carried out sexual violence, including rape and gang rape.

“But, apparently in the face of clear evidence, Grace refuses to acknowledge what happened,” she said. “She should be compelled to meet with the survivors and hear their accounts of sexual violence and torture.”

The National Council of Jewish Women Australia also criticised Ms Tame’s remarks, saying claims the allegations had been “debunked” ignored extensive evidence gathered by international bodies, survivor testimony and investigations into the October 7 attacks.

Ms Tame, when pressed on whether she had condemned the alleged sexual violence, said ­attempts to compel activists to condemn particular incidents were often made in bad faith “to try to trip people up”.

“Clearly, I don’t support any of it,” she said.

Macdonald said the allegations being discussed involved ­serious crimes. “It’s rape and gang rape. Those are the allegations,” he said.

Ms Tame responded by referencing her own experience as a survivor of sexual abuse.

“I do not diminish any of those things, Hamish,” she said.

“As someone who has been raped multiple times as a child myself, I have been choked, hit, spat on. I’ve been locked in cupboards. I have seen pretty horrendous things that human beings are capable of. I do not dismiss any of it, no matter who the perpetrator is and no matter who the victim is.”

Ms Tame rose to national prominence for her advocacy on behalf of survivors of sexual ­assault and her campaign to overturn Tasmania’s laws preventing victims from publicly identifying themselves, resulting in her being named Australian of the Year in 2021. She has since drawn criticism from federal and state politicians because of her criticism of Israel and support for pro-Palestinian activism.

She led protesters in a chant of “globalise the intifada” at a rally in Sydney last month opposing a visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Invitations she received to speak at engagements on child safety have been rescinded after what she described as an “ongoing media smear campaign”.

Ms Tame’s lawyer did not ­immediately respond when contacted for comment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/grace-tame-sparks-outrage-by-saying-hamas-october-7-terror-attack-rapes-were-debunked/news-story/8a42dbf0c069ab81fe89eb16931778de

https://x.com/IsraelinOZ/status/2033697132306436152

https://qresear.ch/?q=Grace+Tame

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>>24386719

Remaining Iranian soccer players join A-League training

Duncan Murray - March 17 2026

The Iranian women's soccer team has left Malaysia for Oman as the two remaining members seeking asylum in Australia joined a local A-League club for training.

The departure ends days of uncertainty after five of the seven squad members who sparked a diplomatic furore by seeking asylum in Australia reversed their decisions and rejoined the team in Kuala Lumpur.

Members of the squad declined to speak to reporters as they spent several hours at the airport checking in and waiting for their flight on Monday night.

Meanwhile, the two players who remained in Australia joined a training session with the women's A-League club, the Brisbane Roar.

The club released photos of Monday's training session, with Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh smiling and wearing the Queensland team's colours.

Brisbane Roar CEO, Kaz Patafta said his club welcomed and supported the players but declined to comment further, directing questions to the Department of Home Affairs.

"We remain committed to providing a supportive environment for them whilst they navigate the next stages," he said.

Asian Football Confederation general secretary Windsor John earlier told The Associated Press his organisation was supporting the Iranian team in Kuala Lumpur.

He said the AFC was told they are flying to Oman, but that isn't their final destination and that he wasn't aware of their full travel plans.

Asked if the confederation was satisfied that the women would be safe back in Iran, Mr Windsor said the AFC and FIFA would check up on them regularly with the Iranian football federation "as they are our girls as well".

The squad flew from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur a week ago after being knocked out of the Women's Asian Cup in Australia, initially leaving behind six players and a support worker who had accepted protection visas.

Four players and the staffer have since rejoined the team in Kuala Lumpur, the latest flying in on Monday.

No reasons have been given for the changes of heart. The Iranian diaspora in Australia blames pressure from Tehran.

Mr Windsor said at a news conference earlier his confederation had not received any direct complaints from players about returning home, despite media reports their families in Iran could face retaliation for the team failing to sing their national anthem before the opening match.

The silence during the anthem was variously reported as an act of resistance or a show of mourning. The team didn't clarify, and it sang at the opening of a later match.

"We couldn't verify anything. We asked them and they said, 'No, it's okay,'" he said.

"They are actually in high spirits … they didn't look afraid."

Iranian authorities welcomed the women's decisions to reject asylum as a victory against Australia and US President Donald Trump.

Iran's squad had arrived in Australia for the tournament shortly before the war in the Middle East began on February 28, complicating travel arrangements.

Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite described the women's plight in Australia as a "very complex situation".

"These are deeply personal decisions, and the government respects the decisions of those that have chosen to return. And we continue to offer support to the two that are remaining," Mr Thistlethwaite said.

The two players who stayed in Australia have been moved to an undisclosed safe location and are receiving assistance from the government and the Iranian diaspora community, he said.

Concerns about the team's safety in Iran heightened when the players didn't sing the Iranian national anthem.

The Australian government was urged to help the women by Iranian groups in Australia and by Trump.

The embassy in Canberra, remains staffed, despite the Australian government expelling the ambassador last year.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9200812/remaining-iranian-soccer-players-join-a-league-training/

>>23800897 (pb)

Daniel’s Law: Two charged via Queensland’s public sex offender register

Catherine Strohfeldt - March 15, 2026

Two people have become the first in Queensland to face charges as a result of community reports stemming from the public sex offender registry.

Acting Police Commissioner Denzil Clark said on Sunday that so far, the community had reported nine offenders who had access to children, including two who were facing charges for not properly reporting to police.

“Of course, there have been several instances where, although they may not have been reportable offenders, we held concerns about that person and their access to children, and we engaged with that family and had conversations about protecting those children,” Clark said.

He said the reportable offenders could have had access to children or unsupervised contact with them in several scenarios, such as through sports clubs or personal relationships.

Police were investigating whether the remaining seven offenders said to have had access to children had breached their reporting obligations.

The register – named Daniel’s Law after slain Sunshine Coast schoolboy Daniel Morcombe – was launched on December 31.

Premier David Crisafulli said at the time, it had given police and parents the tools to do their job.

“We are shining a spotlight on monsters who, for too long, have easily been able to lurk in the shadows,” he said.

In the first 10 weeks after the registry’s launch, it was accessed more than 205,000 times. Of those searches, just under half were made within the first week.

The register allows three kinds of searches: a full list of offenders who had breached reporting duties; locality searches; and a tool to make inquiries about suspected offenders.

Elements of Daniel’s Law available to the public

• Tier 1: A list of reportable offenders who have failed to comply with obligations and whose whereabouts are unknown (an offender’s full name, photograph and year of birth are accessible to members of the public who agree not to misuse the information).

• Tier 2: An online application for residents to view photographs of reportable offenders living in their local area.

• Tier 3: An online application for parents or guardians to inquire as to whether a particular person with unsupervised contact with their child is a reportable offender.

The state reported that during the first 10 weeks, 36,889 Tier 2 local searches were carried out, providing images of registered sex offenders living nearby.

All of the information is freely accessible, but users must agree to strict access guidelines.

However, people using the website have criticised it for having unclear boundaries on a “local area”, with some searches failing to bring up reportable offenders living as close as 5 kilometres from an address.

The premier said on Sunday he would “never shut the door on improving it [the register] and strengthening it”, but ruled out watering it down.

“I will always side with a victim and a family over a predator and a monster every day of the week … and everything we do should be about making the state safer,” he said.

Clark said police had only seen one case of misuse of the register’s information – when Brian Allan Smith posted identifying information on social media.

Crisafulli said that by abiding by the website’s rules, users had disproved claims raised before its launch that it would be misused for vigilantism.

“I have this view that, overwhelmingly, people are good, and they just want their kids to be safe, and this is proving it,” the premier said.

“You heard me speak a lot about community safety, and I won’t change in that regard – I want that to be a legacy of our government.”

https://www.theage.com.au/national/queensland/shining-a-spotlight-on-monsters-two-charged-via-public-sex-offender-register-20260315-p5oalq.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXWEZ_fchvQ

https://qresear.ch/?q=Daniel+Morcombe

—

Daniel's Law

Daniel's Law enables members of the public to access information about convicted child sex offenders who are on Queensland's Child Protection Register. It aims to help all Queenslanders play a role in protecting children and restoring safety in the community.

You can find out if there are any Queensland reportable offenders whose whereabouts are unknown by visiting the Missing reportable offender page, make a disclosure application as a parent or guardian to find out if someone who currently has or may have unsupervised contact with your child or children is a current reportable offender in Queensland, or request a locality search to find out whether there are any reportable offenders who have a history of repeat child sex offending or have been considered to be a high risk to children in your residential area.

https://www.danielslaw.qld.gov.au/daniels-law/

>>24391153

Parents flock to Daniel’s Law website in overwhelming response

Since Queensland launched a public sex offender registry, parents and carers have flocked to the website in massive numbers.

Georgia Palgan - March 15, 2026

Every thirty seconds, a concerned parent and carer visited the Daniel’s Law website, the landmark child sex offender public registry.

Since its launch, the online website has given parents and carers access to vital information about convicted child sex offenders in Queensland - and the numbers are staggering.

One of the most significant reforms to child safety laws in Queensland’s history, the Community Protection and Child Sex Offender Public Register - also known as Daniel’s Law - came online in December.

In a little over two months, the online platform has been accessed more than 205,000 times, with a new visitor clicking through every 30 seconds.

“We promised reforms to make our community safer and that is exactly what Daniel’s Law is delivering,” Premier David Crisafulli said.

“It’s still early days but these results are already proving having this knowledge gives parents and police the power to act.”

The scheme includes three levels of information designed to protect children.

Tier one is a publicly searchable website listing offenders who’ve vanished, failed to comply with their obligations and whose whereabouts are unknown.

Their full name, photograph and year of birth are available to anyone willing to agree not to misuse the information.

Tier two lets residents apply to view photographs of registered offenders living in their local area.

Tier three allows parents and guardians to apply to check if a specific person with unsupervised access to their child is a reportable offender.

It is a criminal offence to misuse information from the registry, including engaging in vigilantism.

The registry is named in honour of Daniel Morcombe, the Sunshine Coast schoolboy whose abduction and murder in 2003 devastated a state.

His parents refused to let their son’s death be in vain and have become prominent child safety advocates.

Daniel’s parents, Bruce and Denise Morcombe, who founded the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, celebrated 21 years at the annual Dance For Daniel, a fundraising event supporting “a safer world for children.”

“A law is a law, but a law that makes a difference is truly something that we value.” Mr Morcombe said to their crowd of supporters on Saturday night,” Mr Morcombe said.

“To have it named in honour of our son is truly something special because it is making a difference, it’s protecting Queensland’s kids.”

“We owe this to Daniel, to his family, and to every Queensland child who deserves to grow up safe.” Premier Crisafulli said.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/parents-flock-to-daniels-law-website-in-overwhelming-response/news-story/0b65e8fd3431ca8e8d825bd0f0f44a66

https://www.danielslaw.qld.gov.au/daniels-law/