CSG warned of high terror risk at Bondi Chanukah event weeks before attack

A leaked security assessment shows that Community Security Group NSW (CSG) warned authorities of a high risk of violent antisemitism targeting the Chanukah by the Sea event at Bondi weeks before the terror attack that killed 15 people and injured at least 40 on 14 December 2025.

The confidential document, first reported by the ABC, was dated 26 November and prepared by Community Security Group NSW, the communal security organisation serving the Jewish community in New South Wales. It identified the Bondi Beach gathering as high risk and warned of threats from Islamic extremism, including jihadist-inspired lone actor attacks.

“The NSW Jewish community is currently experiencing unprecedented levels of vilification and a significant increase in incidents impacting the community,” the document stated. It added that Jewish and Israeli interests “have historically been targeted in response to Middle East conflicts”.

The assessment cited the 2025 Annual Threat Assessment by ASIO, which warned that lone actor terrorism remains the most likely form of attack in Australia. “Even as organised terrorist groups have been disrupted offshore, violent extremist ideology continues to resonate with a small number of individuals in Australia,” ASIO said. “Sunni violent extremism remains Australia’s most significant terrorism threat.”

The CSG document also referenced other forms of extremism, including far-right activity, noting a neo Nazi rally outside NSW Parliament in November as an indicator of heightened tensions.

Community Security Group NSW is a volunteer-led organisation that coordinates security for the Jewish community and its events and works closely with police. It assessed the annual Chanukah celebration as high risk due to its size, public location and visibility. On that basis, CSG requested a dedicated and visible police presence for the duration of the 14 December event. A CSG volunteer was injured in the attack.

According to sources with knowledge of the arrangements, that request was not met. Instead, junior police officers on a broader Bondi Beach patrol were tasked with intermittent monitoring of the event.

Two junior officers, Constable Scott Dyson and Probationary Constable Jack Hibbert, were seriously injured during the attack. Hibbert was shot in the head and shoulder while attempting to move members of the public to safety. Dyson was reportedly wounded when his police vehicle came under fire.

Organisers from Chabad Bondi expressed disappointment at the limited police presence at Archer Park. Full details of the security planning remain unclear, partly because Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, Chabad Bondi’s general manager who registered the event with CSG, was killed in the attack.

Multiple sources confirmed CSG had assessed the event as carrying a significant risk profile and had sought a stronger police presence than was ultimately deployed. Mendy Ulman, son of Chabad Bondi’s chief rabbi and one of the event organisers, said Levitan was meticulous about security planning. “Security was something he took incredibly seriously,” Ulman said. “He was hyper intense about it.”

Ulman told ABC News the event was considered high risk because it is held in a public park each year, unlike many other Jewish events where locations are disclosed only shortly beforehand. He said last year’s gathering had a noticeably larger police presence, including a patrol car inside the fenced area and officers stationed at the entrance. “This year, all I saw were two police officers walking around inside the barricade, while CSG volunteers were positioned at the entrance,” Ulman said. “Perhaps it would have made a difference if police had been stationed outside the barricade.”

The shooting occurred shortly after 6.40 pm on 14 December, when father and son Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, allegedly opened fire from a pedestrian overpass overlooking the celebration. One of the alleged attackers was shot dead by police, while the other was injured and taken into custody. Authorities have described the incident as an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community.

NSW Police declined to confirm whether it received the CSG document or whether a larger police presence had been requested, citing ongoing investigations. The matter is subject to a critical incident investigation, a criminal investigation and a coronial inquest.

Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon declined to answer questions about risk assessments and the absence of heavily armed officers. “That is subject to the investigation,” Lanyon said at a press conference on 16 December. “We base our policing response on the threat that exists at the time. Bondi Beach is a large public area and is regularly patrolled, as it was on that day.”

A spokeswoman for NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley said the minister was unaware of any specific request from CSG for an increased police presence. When approached by JWire, CSG and the Jewish Board of Deputies declined to comment on the leaked document.

The leaked assessment has intensified scrutiny of government responses to the sharp rise in antisemitism across Australia. The federal government has resisted calls for a royal commission, announcing instead reviews into intelligence and law enforcement processes to inform the NSW enquiry. ASIO has confirmed it had previously assessed one of the suspects but determined there was no ongoing threat at the time.