Controversial Islamic preacher Wissam Haddad with links to alleged Bondi shooter holds gun licence

A controversial Islamic preacher who was sued over anti-Semitic comments and is linked to one of the alleged Bondi shooters holds a current gun licence.

Wissam Haddad is a Jihadi preacher who delivers lectures at Sydney’s Al Madina Dawah Centre, which has been forced to close due to unauthorised operations.

Now, 7NEWS can reveal Haddad holds a current firearms licence in New South Wales.

Haddad has been linked historically to 24-year-old Naveed Akram who was one of the alleged gunmen, alongside his father Sajid, at the December 14 Bondi shooting — links which he denies.

In the wake of the attack, it was revealed Akram had been allegedly looked at by domestic spy agency ASIO in 2019.

This was over suspected links to Islamic extremists in Sydney and to the Al Madina Dawah Centre where Akram was reportedly a worshipper.

Haddad has previously been sued in the Federal Court over comments made in November 2023 after Hamas, designated by Australia as a terrorist group, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

In the sermons, Haddad variously referred to Jewish people as “vile”, “treacherous”, “murderous” and “mischievous”.

The lawsuit was brought by Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim and deputy president Robert Goot, who claimed the lectures were offensive and could incite violence towards Jewish people.

Justice Angus Stewart found the sermons contained “perverse generalisations” against Jewish people and included racist, anti-Semitic tropes.

Haddad was ordered not to repeat the harmful racial stereotypes, remove the three sermons from online, and to “pin” or “feature” corrective notices describing the court’s findings to the Al Madina Dawah Centre’s website and social media pages.

This week, the Al Madina Dawah Centre, where Haddad is a preacher, was shut down by the Bankstown council as it was operating as an unauthorised prayer hall when it was only approved as a medical centre.

“Our recent surveillance indicates there is a strong suspicion the premises is being used contrary to its intended use,” a council spokesperson said on Tuesday.

“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.”

In December 2022, council told Haddad to stop using a premises at Georges Hall which only had approval to operate as a gym.

It continued to operate, and Haddad was issued with another notice to shut down.

However, the day after the Bondi terror attack the Al Madina Dawah Centre issued a statement in which it said Haddad was not involved in the centre through management, the committee or the board.

“His involvement is limited to occasional invitations as a guest speaker, including delivering lectures and at a times, Friday sermons,” it said.

The centre was running under new management, according to the statement.

“Al Madina Group expects that this reality be acknowledges and respected, and we strongly reject any attempts by media outlets or others to unjustly tarnish the organisation or misrepresent its leadership,” it said.

- With AAP.