Terror accused Milad Atai’s supporters in vile court spit attack

SUPPORTERS of an accused terrorist face possible criminal charges after they allegedly hit and spat on a photographer outside of a Sydney court yesterday.

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SUPPORTERS of an accused terrorist face possible criminal charges after they allegedly hit and spat on a photographer outside of a Sydney court yesterday.

One woman was seen whacking The Saturday Telegraph photographer on the back of her head, while another was seen hitting her hand before spitting in her face outside Sydney’s Downing Centre court complex.

The photographer was left in tears with a sore head and a swollen index finger, which was later X-rayed. She told police several women called her “a f...ing slut” and told her to “become a prostitute and get a real job”.

The supporter of Milad Atai prepares to spit at the photographer.

The alleged attack occurred moments after a magistrate refused bail for Milad Atai — a 21-year-old accused of plotting the terrorist attack in which police employee Curtis Cheng was murdered.

Atai and co-accused Mustafa Dirani had applied for bail, with their lawyers arguing there were “exceptional circumstances” because they had not been given proper access to their lawyer or the brief of evidence against them.

The attack was made in the middle of a street.

The group challenges and allegedly insults the photographer.

Magistrate Clare Farnan’s decision to refuse bail came shortly after Raban Alou, 19, pleaded guilty to committing a terrorist act after he supplied a gun to schoolboy Farhad Jabar which he used to murder Mr Cheng outside NSW Police headquarters at Parramatta in October 2015.

After the alleged attack on the photographer, one of the female supporters was arrested in the Downing Centre foyer but released without charges pending an investigation. Police will review CCTV footage of the incident, which occurred about 1.25pm.

In a statement last night, police said officers from Sydney City Local Area Command are continuing inquiries into the matter.

At a committal hearing this month for Atai, Dirani, Alou and Talal Alameddine, the court was played CCTV footage of Alou meeting Jabar at Parramatta Mosque hours before the murder. The pair are seen entering the female-only section of the mosque, where police allege Alou handed Jabar the Smith & Wesson pistol used to kill Mr Cheng.

Alou now faces the possibility of life in prison and his three co-accused have been committed to stand trial.

Murdered police employee Curtis Cheng with his wife and children.

Yesterday, Dirani’s lawyer Peter McGrath, SC, argued his client should be released, citing his minimal criminal history and lack of access to documents to fight his charges.

Atai’s lawyer said his client’s lack of access to the brief was “unacceptable”.

In refusing bail, Ms Farnan found there were no exceptional circumstances to release them from Goulburn Supermax but said she did find it “unrealistic and probably inhumane” the pair were only outside of their cells for 3½ hours a day and did not have proper access to legal documents. Alou, Atai, Alameddine and Dirani will be arraigned in the Supreme Court on July 7.