A makeshift Islamic prayer centre located above a florist is just one of several operating across Sydney without council approval.
The Al‑Tawhid Centre in Leppington has been running for almost two years, hosting visiting clerics, conferences and daily prayer sessions, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Separately, Bayside Council is investigating the Rosebery Mosque, located in a residential building above a fruit shop, amid allegations it lacks the required approvals to operate as a prayer hall.
Security sources said informal worship venues need closer scrutiny from local authorities, warning they can enable unregulated preaching and present risks due to a lack of oversight.
The Al Madina Dawah Centre was closed by Canterbury-Bankstown Council in January after operating as a prayer hall without approval.
Alleged shooter Naveed Akram, 24, is understood to have attended the centre, where preacher Wissam Haddad previously lectured, before Akram allegedly carried out the Bondi Beach attack with his father, Sajid, killing 15 people on December 14.
There is no suggestion Haddad had any knowledge of, or involvement in, the incident.
Liverpool Council is preparing to issue a cease‑use notice that would formally prohibit the Al‑Tawhid Centre from operating as a prayer hall.
The Al‑Tawhid Centre in Leppington has been running above a florist for almost two years without a council permit, hosting visiting clerics, conferences and daily prayer sessions.
The centre, which promotes Salafism, an ultraconservative strand of Sunni Islam, has been running since April 2024 despite not having the required council approval.
Jewish security groups allegedly warned police last November that attacks on Jewish communities worldwide had been perpetrated by followers of fundamentalist Islamic movements, such as 'Salafi-Jihadism'.
In January, Premier Chris Minns announced new measures targeting those using venues as places of worship without planning approval, aiming to stop hate preachers running 'factories of hate'.
Federal Opposition Home Affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam said authorities cannot allow illegal prayer halls to operate as 'factories of hate' in our suburbs.
'There must be no backward step taken in shutting them down and there must be zero tolerance of any potential radicalisation occurring in our suburbs,' he said.
'Authorities need to be as vigilant as they have ever been in stamping out hate.'
NSW Opposition Local Government spokesman Tim James said after Bondi, strong and enduring action is needed to stamp out unlawful prayer halls and to ensure local councils can do their job of checking and acting on such facilities.
Associate Professor Josh Roose, an expert on religion and violent extremism at Deakin University, said small 'hardline' groups linked to strict Salafi movements often keep a low profile.
Dr Roose said these groups are usually not part of mainstream mosques and that they have often been asked to leave or have separated themselves because their views are seen as 'too extreme' by the broader Muslim community.
'They prefer to stay under the radar, and sometimes this means they ignore local council rules about how buildings can be used,' he said.
A Liverpool Council spokesman said the council had investigated concerns raised by community members about Al-Tawhid Centre in Leppington and had started compliance and enforcement action.
'Council's priority is to ensure buildings and land are used legally and appropriately.'
A Bayside Council spokeswoman said the council was also investigating the use of Rosebery Mosque and would take appropriate action as required.