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Items from the Epstein files, including a photo containing Donald Trump, were removed by the justice department from its website because of concerns raised by victims, the deputy attorney general said on Sunday.

The image featuring Trump was later reinstated after review, said Todd Blanche, deputy attorney general.

Mr Blanche rejected criticisms that the removal was related to the US president and said the photo that included him also showed unredacted images of women.

At least 13 files – from thousands released on Friday related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – had disappeared from the website without explanation by Saturday.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee questioned the images’ removal. In a social media post, they asked Attorney General Pam Bondi: “What else is being covered up?”

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) said in a post on X on Sunday that the image of Trump was flagged by the Southern District of New York “for potential further action to protect victims”.

It added that the image was removed temporarily for further review “out of an abundance of caution”.

“After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction,” the DOJ said, linking to the image in question on its website..

The picture was taken in one of Epstein’s homes, US officials said, and it shows a collection of framed photographs on a cabinet, many of them featuring famous people.

There is an open drawer filled with other photos – one of which shows the president with Epstein, First Lady Melania Trump and Epstein’s convicted associate Ghislane Maxwell.

Blanche called the suggestion that the photo was removed due to Trump “laughable”. “It has nothing to do with President Trump,” he told NBC News.

“There are dozens of photos of President Trump already released to the public seeing him with Mr Epstein.”

He added: “So the absurdity of us pulling down a photo, a single photo, because President Trump was in it, is laughable.”

Blanche cited a judge in New York who “has ordered us to listen to any victim or victims’ rights group if they have concerns” as a reason behind removing some previously posted files.

“There were a number of photographs that were pulled down after being released on Friday,” he said.

Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and has not been accused of any crimes by Epstein’s victims. There is no suggestion that these pictures imply any wrongdoing.

The DOJ already was under fire for not releasing all of the files by the Friday deadline, as mandated by law.

The justice department documents, which include photos, videos and investigative materials linked to Epstein, were highly anticipated after Congress passed a law mandating their release in their entirety by Friday.

Congressman Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who led the charge to release the files, said he was frustrated with the Trump administration’s response and his focus is to get justice for the victims.

He said he is drafting inherent contempt charges for Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“They are flouting the spirit and the letter of the law,” he told CBS News on Sunday. “It’s very troubling the posture that they have taken. I won’t be satisfied until the survivors are satisfied.”

Ten of the missing files include images showing apparently the same room in Epstein’s home – a small massage parlour with clouds painted on the ceiling, and brown patterned wallpaper studded with multiple nudes. Some appear to be photos, others are artwork.

Most of the women pictured on the wall have had their faces redacted. However, one face is redacted in one file but plainly visible in three of the others. Another face remains unredacted in all of the files while a painted image of the same person is visible.

The documents released on Friday came to light as the result of an act of Congress that forced the DOJ to release them.

The DOJ said it would comply with the congressional request to release documents, with some stipulations.

It redacted personally identifiable information about Epstein’s victims, materials depicting child sexual abuse, materials depicting physical abuse, any records that “would jeopardise an active federal investigation” or any classified documents that must stay secret to protect “national defence or foreign policy”.

But many of the documents that were released were heavily redacted.

There was limited new information about Epstein’s crimes and things like internal DOJ memos on charging decisions were not included in the files that were released.

Additional reporting by Alison Benjamin and Benedict Garman.

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The suspected gunmen in the Bondi Beach attack threw explosives at the start of the deadly incident and had practised shooting weeks before as they planned the attack, according to new court documents.

Fifteen people were killed and dozens more injured when two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration on 14 December. Explosives, including a “tennis ball bomb”, failed to detonate, according to the documents.

Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of terror. A second gunman – his father, Sajid Akram – was shot dead by police at the scene.

According to the documents, the pair “meticulously” planned the attack for several months and, two days prior to the shooting, visited Bondi for reconnaissance.

Last week, a temporary suppression order was made on the release of the police fact sheet to protect the identities of the survivors. It was revoked on Monday and the documents were published with some redactions.

Included are the details of several videos tracing the movements of the alleged gunmen in the months, days and hours before the attack.

One video – taken on one of their mobile phones in October – is described as showing the men sitting in front of an image of an Islamic State group (IS) flag.

They are heard making statements about their motivations for the attack and condemn “the acts of ‘Zionists’”, police say.

Naveed Akram is also “recorded appearing to recite, in Arabic, a passage from the Quran”.

Police said separate footage from October shows the father and son “conducting firearms training in a countryside location”, believed to be in New South Wales. They are seen “firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner”, officials added.

CCTV footage from the evening of 12 December is said to show two males “believed to be the accused and his father” in their car next to Bondi Beach.

“The accused and his father, S Akram, are seen to exit the vehicle and walk along the footbridge, being the same position where they attended two days later and shot at members of the public,” the document states.

“Police allege that this is evidence of reconnaissance and planning of a terrorist act.”

At around 02:00 (15:00 GMT) on the day of the attack, two men were captured on CCTV leaving rented accommodation in the Sydney suburb of Campsie “carrying long and bulky items wrapped in blankets”, which they placed into a car.

The documents note these include two single barrel shotguns, a Beretta rifle, four improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and two IS flags.

Police say shortly after 17:00 (08:00 GMT), the men were seen leaving the rental. Separate footage captures them arriving at Bondi at 18:50 (09:50 GMT), where they parked and placed the flags on the inside of the front and rear windows.

They are then seen removing the firearms and IEDs from the car, before walking towards a footbridge, according o the documents.

It was from this location that police believe they threw the explosives – three pipe bombs and a “tennis ball bomb” – towards the crowd, though none exploded.

A short time later, they used the firearms to shoot towards the crowd, police say. Fourteen people were killed at the scene. One other died from their injuries later in hospital.

Sajid Akram was shot and killed during an exchange of fire with New South Wales Police officers,

Naveed Akram was critically injured by police fire. He was released from hospital on Monday and transferred to a prison.

The attack at Bondi Beach sparked calls for tougher restrictions on gun ownership and more efforts to protect the Jewish community from rising antisemitism.

On Monday, New South Wales state recalled its parliament to debate a raft of new gun and protest laws, proposed in the wake of the shooting.

Some civil rights groups and pro-gun advocates have raised concerns that the laws will place undue restrictions on firearms and protests.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said some may feel the changes had “gone too far” but they were needed to keep the community safe.