A 70-year-old man has been refused bail after appearing at Burwood Court on Sunday 25 January over allegations of sending a threatening letter to the Lakemba Mosque in Sydney’s southwest.
Police allege the correspondence also contained violent threats targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, Middle Eastern Australians, and a number of political figures, including representatives from Labor, the Greens and other activist groups.
NSW Police seized more than 100 letters, stamps, notepads and several electronic devices during a Saturday night raid on the man’s Burwood home, part of a swift investigation aimed at preventing further dissemination of hate material. Police allege the man was acting alone.
Officers were first called to Lakemba Mosque, Australia’s largest mosque, on Thursday 22 January after staff received a threatening letter.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden said that the investigation moved quickly.
“The swift investigation resulted in us preventing the dissemination of further letters,” he told a media conference.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden (ABC News photo).
For the Lebanese Muslim Association, curators of Lakemba Mosque, the rapid arrest and bail refusal underscore both the seriousness of the threats and the consequences of targeting Muslim institutions.
“We commend NSW Police and the AFP for their fast and decisive work,” said LMA spokesman Hajj Gamel Kheir.
“This is precisely the level of seriousness these threats demand, and the refusal of bail reflects the gravity of what is alleged.”
Mr Kheir said the case also exposed a long-standing and uncomfortable truth: that Muslim communities often need to raise their voices before meaningful action occurs.
“It shouldn’t require public pressure for mosques to be protected or threats to be treated with urgency,” he said.
“But experience tells us that silence rarely delivers results.”
“Strong words lead to real action – and this case proves that.”
The LMA had issued a strongly worded statement on Friday 23 January, criticising political leaders and sections of the media for failing to confront the normalisation of hostility toward Muslims.
“Our words were strong because the failure of leadership has been ongoing and dangerous,” Mr Kheir said.
He also emphasised that legal accountability must be consistent and uncompromising.
“When a mosque receives a threat, this isn’t mischief, nor free speech – it is an attempt to terrorise a community,” he said.
“If the alleged conduct meets the legal threshold for terrorism, it should be charged as such….the law must apply equally for all communities.”
While the arrest and refusal of bail bring some reassurance, the LMA warned that lasting safety for Muslim institutions and other targeted communities will only be achieved when threats are met with automatic urgency, not reactive outrage.
“This case must not be the exception,” Mr Kheir said. “It must be the standard.”
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