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Two men now face criminal charges for brandishing a fake handgun at security guards outside a Sydney Chabad synagogue during Shabbat services on Saturday.
Security volunteers from the local Jewish community and responding police officers acted swiftly, tracking down both suspects near the scene and taking them into custody within minutes.
Police identified the pair as 22-year-old Neils Baholet and 25-year-old Merouan Meye. Investigators charged both with possessing an unauthorized pistol.
Baholet also faces additional charges of using an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offense and stalking.
✡️🇦🇺 — ANTISEMITISM: Two men were arrested in Sydney today after allegedly pointing what looked like a gun at Jews outside Chabad Double Bay during Shabbat.
• Police later said the weapon was an imitation firearm. pic.twitter.com/WvIlBfCeEk
— Belaaz News (@TheBelaaz) July 4, 2026
Yanky Super, who was wounded during the Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre, was praying inside the synagogue when the threat occurred. “This is my synagogue,” he said. “I was inside at the time. Thankfully, everyone is safe, but it was a deeply confronting moment for our community. A place of worship should always be safe and respected.”
Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) Alex Ryvchin condemned the act. “The level of sickness needed to do this months after a shooting massacre should disturb us all,” he said. “Threatening and terrifying Jews for laughs. Well done to the police for their swift action.”
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