A visitor to the makeshift memorial to the victims of the Sydney cafe siege takes a close-up picture of a candle among flowers
A visitor to the makeshift memorial to the victims of the Sydney cafe siege takes a close-up picture of a candle among flowers before dawn in Martin Place, December 18, 2014. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Wednesday ordered a sweeping investigation into a deadly hostage siege after tough new security laws and the courts failed to stop a convicted felon from walking into a Sydney cafe with a concealed shotgun. REUTERS/Jason Reed

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has questioned a Victorian magistrate's decision to grant bail to Khodr Moustafa Taha. The Melbourne man is known to be a sympathiser of Middle Eastern extremist forces.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Jelena Popovic granted bail to Taha last week even though there were strict objections by police. Abbott called the decision "very, very questionable" Taha is known for his support for Middle Eastern militant forces like Islamic State and al-Qa'ida. Taha has a history of violence, a commitment to extremism, making explicit threats against police. The 35-year-old is accused of threatening Victorian Police in public. He is also facing charges like possessing child exploitation material and a weapon, for which he is scheduled to reappear in court on Jan 22. He is accused of assaulting his mother while he is also charged with a hammer attack on his former boss.

Taha is also accused to sending a threat to Victoria Police on Twitter. He apparently wrote that he was going to hurt the officers of the department. He allegedly runs multiple Twitter accounts, one of which has a picture of an al-Qa'ida flag. The Twitter account is used to post materials in support of Islamic State. Officers found ammunition as well as three swords at Taha's home during a raid. Abbott, in interview with 3AW's Nick McCallum, criticised the magistrate's decision while police asked the Office of Public Prosecutions to appeal Popovic's decision to grant bail to Taha. Abbott said that he would like to see common sense on the bench. "I can understand my people are aghast at this, Nick," Mr Abbott said, "It does seem a very, very questionable bit of judicial judgment."

Abbott also defended the cover page of the "survivors" edition of satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo that shows a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad weeping and holding a sign: "Je suis Charlie." Abbott said that he liked that cartoon. He referred to the title of the cover saying "Tout est pardonné" (all is forgiven) and said that this "rancorous, modern world" would need more of "that spirit of forgiveness."

Taha's bail comes with conditions like living with his brother, not using social media and reporting daily to police.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@IBTimes.com.au