A family visit to the alleged Bondi Beach gunman Naveed Akram was called off at the last minute after officers allegedly found a knife and handwritten notes during a security check of a car.
2GB host Ben Fordham said Corrective Services NSW scrapped the visit to Goulburn Supermax prison last weekend over security concerns.
‘It’s our understanding a number of items were located during a security check of a car. There were some notes found inside the vehicle,’ Fordham told listeners.
‘There was also a small knife located, and our sources tell us it was a small fruit knife.
‘We have been told, and we’ve had it confirmed that the items did not meet any extremist threshold.
‘However, 2GB breakfast can confirm right now that the planned visit was cancelled as a result.’
The 24-year-old was moved from Long Bay jail hospital to what is officially known as the High Risk Management Correctional Centre on January 5.
It is understood that since he was transferred, Akram has not seen his mother or any other family member. His only visitor since the Bondi atrocity on December 14 has been Muslim chaplain Ahmed Kilani, who spoke to him for 10 to 15 minutes.
A visit to the alleged Bondi Beach gunman Naveed Akram (pictured) was called off after officers allegedly uncovered a knife and handwritten notes during a security check
2GB host Ben Fordham said Corrective Services NSW scrapped the weekend visit to Goulburn Supermax prison (pictured) over security concerns following the discovery
Pictured is the family home of the alleged gunmen Naveed and Sajid Akram in Sydney’s west
The Daily Mail previously revealed their conversation was recorded on a body-worn camera operated by a Corrective Services officer who monitored the exchange.
As well as being allowed to speak with a chaplain, Akram was granted his request for a copy of the Koran.
That recording was made at the direction of the prison hospital’s security manager and will be provided to NSW Police and other intelligence agencies.
Akram’s 50-year-old father Sajid Akram was shot dead by police after he and his son allegedly opened fire on Jews celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.
The mass shooting – the worst in Australia since 35 people were killed in the 1996 Port Arthur massacre – is being treated as a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State.
Akram is facing 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder and 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder.
He is also charged with discharging a firearm in public, causing a public display of a prohibited terrorist symbol and placing an explosive in or near a building with intent to cause harm.
Supermax, on the NSW Southern Tablelands 200km south-west of Sydney, sits within the Goulburn Correctional Complex and currently houses about 100 inmates.
Supermax, on the NSW Southern Tablelands 200km south-west of Sydney, sits within the Goulburn Correctional Complex and currently houses about 100 inmates
Akram already has the highest AA security classification and may be considered for an additional Extreme High Risk Restricted or National Security Interest designation (stock)
Akram already has the highest AA security classification and may be considered for an additional Extreme High Risk Restricted or National Security Interest designation.
He is being kept in Area 1, the original part of Supermax which opened in September 2001 and for the past 25 years has been home to the state’s most dangerous felons.
Visitors to Supermax undergo extreme vetting, including a full criminal background check before being allowed inside its gates.
Prisoners in Supermax do not have access to the electronic tablets inmates in other jails can use to contact loved ones from their cells.
When permitted to make a call, Akram will be escorted to a telephone inside a cage and the call will be monitored, except for legal consultations.
He is yet to enter a plea and his case is due for a brief mention on April 8.
