‘Illegal’ prayer hall with links to Bondi shooter shut down | World | News
A prayer hall that was open illegally has been shut down by a local council in the wake of the shootings at Bondi Beach – after it emerged it has links with one of the alleged shooters.
Sydney’s City of Canterbury Bankstown confirmed on Tuesday that it has moved to shut down the Al Madina Dawah Centre, run by Salafi cleric Wissam Haddad after his links to alleged Bondi gunman Naveed Akram, 24, came to light. Wissam Haddad is also known as William Haddad or Abu Ousayd.
A total of 16 people were killed and 42 injured when gunmen opened fire targeting a Jewish Chanukah event at Bondi Beach earlier this month in Sydney, Australia, at around 6.45pm (local time).
The council’s regulatory and compliance team issued a “cease use” directive to Haddad late on Monday in the wake of surveillance of the “illegal prayer hall”. A spokesperson for the council confirmed it had carried out an investigation into the building in May, conducting surveillance and finding that Haddad had in fact been preaching from the Al Madina Dawah Centre.
A spokesman said: “Despite no complaints from nearby residents, we continued to conduct ongoing surveillance of the premises, and we now have the photographic evidence to suspect the centre is being used contrary to what it has been approved for.”
In another statement, the council confirmed it had reviewed records as far back as 1970. Records proved the building had never been issued with approval to operate as a prayer hall. It was only recently being approved to operate as a medical centre.
A council spokesperson said the building’s change of use from a medical centre to a place of worship would require development consent from the City of Canterbury Bankstown. This had not been sought and was therefore unauthorised.
“Our recent surveillance indicates there is a strong suspicion the premises is being used contrary to its intended use,” the spokesman said. “We have issued the cease use notices which will be effective immediately. There are no compromises, and we will be taking further action if they don’t comply.”
The spokesperson added: “We will continue to monitor the centre and will be taking further action if necessary.”
The council is working in conjunction with Bankstown Police and the NSW Government to see the prayer hall closed.
The December cease use order is not the first time Haddad has been directed to shut down an unauthorised prayer hall.
In 2023, the same council issued a separate cease use directive for another premises located about two and a half miles away from the 2025 Bankstown prayer hall. The 2023 cease use directive was issued on a property that had approval to operate as a gym, but was being used as a prayer hall.
The council said Haddad ignored the cease use directive from council and continued to operate the building as a prayer hall until another cease and desist notice was issued. It was then that the 2023 prayer hall was ultimately shut down. NSW Premier Chris Minns told News.com.au that he is in full support of council.
“There is no place for hate speech in NSW which is why we are supporting all action to clamp down on those inciting hate, and we will not stop,” he said.
“We are ready to make significant changes to prevent hate preachers or anyone else inciting violence in our communities.”
The closure of the Bankstown prayer hall comes in the wake of the recent terror attack on Bondi Beach. It will be alleged by authorities in court that the terror attack has links to radical Islam. Haddad has previously denied through a lawyer to media outlets “any knowledge of or involvement in the shootings that took place at Bondi Beach”.
In a 2019 investigation into 24-year-old Naveed Akram by ASIO, Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, identified links between the alleged gunman and Haddad, according to the ABC.
Six-months later, ASIO decided that the younger Akram was not a security risk to the Australian public and his intelligence detail was scrapped. In a statement, ASIO said on the matter: “As a matter of long-standing convention ASIO does not comment on individuals or ongoing investigations.”
Haddad’s association with Akram has focused significant new attention on the Bankstown-based cleric, with the Australian government announcing a crackdown on hate preachers on Thursday.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said clerics who “spew hatred and cause fear are on my radar”. “The AFP is resolutely determined to protect Australians – and we will be visible and use all our resources and capabilities to identity and target those who want to do us harm,” she said.
Haddad made headlines in Australia earlier this year when a court ordered he remove a of fiery sermons from November 2023, which racked up thousands of views online. In the speeches, Haddad referred to Jewish people as “vile”, “treacherous”, “murderous” and “mischievous”.
In July, the material was found to have breached the Racial Discrimination Act in legal action launched by Executive Council of Australian Jewry. Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim and deputy president Robert Goot claimed to the court the lectures were offensive and could incite violence towards Jews.
In his judgment, Federal Court judge Angus Stewart said the speeches carried suggestions that Jewish people were “very mischievous”, that Jewish people “control the media”, and that “their supporters are murdering cowards”, among other serious, anti-Semitic claims.
Haddad’s lawyer told local media at the time that the speeches were derived in substance from religious texts, including the Qur’an. They said the speeches did not refer to Australian Jewish people.
The Express has approached legal representation for Haddad for comment.
