Armed suspects arrested after threatening Sydney Chabad security on Shabbat

Two men have been charged for allegedly threatening security guards with an imitation firearm outside a Chabad synagogue in Sydney's Double Bay neighborhood during Shabbat prayers, according to local security officials and New South Wales Police.Officers responded within minutes and arrested both suspects shortly afterward.Security personnel, including volunteers from Sydney's Jewish community and officers from New South Wales Police, reacted immediately after the incident was reported. Police located the suspects - 22-year-old Neils Baholet and 25-year-old Merouan Meye - nearby and took them into custody without further incident.Baholet has been charged with using an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offense, possessing an unauthorized pistol and stalking offenses. Meye has been charged with possessing an unauthorized pistol.Local Yanky Super, who was wounded during the Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre, was inside the Chabad synagogue at the time of the incident.✡️ — 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, 2026Places of worship should always be respected"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-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Alex Ryvchin, said that "The level of sickness needed to do this months after a shooting massacre should disturb us all.""Threatening and terrifying Jews for laughs. Well done to the police for their swift action."Yoav Etiel contributed to this report