Police ruled ‘no misconduct’ after officers allegedly shouted ‘Allahu Akbar, boom’ near Muslim neighbour

NSW Police told complainant the remarks were just “banter between friends”

Image credit: sv1ambo

A western Sydney man has vowed to keep pursuing accountability for off-duty NSW police officers who he alleges shouted "Allahu Akbar! Boom!" and "Hezbollah!" following a neighbourhood dispute in December 2024, after an internal police investigation found "no evidence of misconduct".

In complaints to NSW Police, Tarek of Glenmore Park alleged that several off-duty officers made the remarks at a Christmas party last year hosted by his next-door neighbour, who is an officer assigned to Nepean Police Area Command (PAC).

In CCTV footage of Tarek’s backyard provided to Deepcut, voices can be heard chanting "Allahu Akbar!" followed by laughter. One voice shouts "Allahu Akbar! Boom!"

Tarek, who has called the NSW Police findings handed down in February "an insult", has filed the incident with the Islamophobia Register of Australia.

"I think the police investigation shows a double standard," Tarek told Deepcut. "They were heavy-handed on people protesting for the Palestinians, but it's okay for them to insult and make fun of me when I ask for justice."

NSW Police told Deepcut that the "matter has been finalised and the informant has been advised of the outcome of the internal investigation."

'I was in shock'

In a witness statement taken by NSW Police in February, Tarek claimed his neighbour's backyard swimming pool was the subject of a long-running property dispute.

"When the neighbours use their pool the water spills over into my yard causing damage to both the retaining wall and my backyard," Tarek's witness statement reads. "The constant moisture and water is now causing structural problems in my house."

Tarek set up CCTV with audio to capture instances of the "nuisance water" spilling onto his property.

In his statement, Tarek claims that water began spilling into his backyard as his neighbour's party guests began using the pool. Images and footage from Tarek’s CCTV cameras show water leaking through the fence dividing the two properties and pooling in Tarek's backyard.

Tarek claims he tried to speak with his neighbour several times but was told by a party guest that his neighbour "does not want to talk to you".

Tarek claims in his statement that the chanting started about 10 minutes later and continued for about an hour, although he did not recognise any specific voice.

"I am Muslim and I know that 'Allahu Akbar' means 'God is great'. It's not an insult but when I heard the words 'Allahu Akbar boom' I formed the opinion that whoever was saying this was saying it to insinuate that I was a terrorist or a suicide bomber," Tarek's witness statement reads. "I also heard someone using the word 'Hezbollah'. This is a terrorist organisation in Australia and I felt that they were using this word to insinuate that I was a terrorist or something insulting to me."

Tarek did not call the police or attempt to speak with his neighbour again, as "I was in shock and did not know what to do."

"I do not want to see anyone sacked, I just want them to understand how upset they made me."

"All [that] I was asking from them [was] to take it easy as they were flooding my place, instead they decided to racially insult us because we are Muslims," Tarek stated in his original complaint to NSW Police on January 15.

'The yelling and chanting that you heard was banter between friends'

On February 26, Tarek received a letter from NSW Police Ministerial and Executive Services advising him that "the matters raised in your correspondence have been reviewed in full by both the Nepean PAC and the North West Metropolitan Region Professional Standards Manager, with a determination made that there is no evidence of misconduct".

On February 28, Tarek received a follow-up email from the Nepean PAC inspector assigned to investigate his complaint, who stated "the behaviour that you heard and captured on your devices was not directed at you in any way".

"Each of the Directed Officers indicated that the yelling and chanting that you heard was banter between friends at a private Christmas Party and definitely not aimed at you," the email reads. "Whilst I can understand that you concluded something significantly different to that, I can assure you that the evidence that I have gathered does not support that conclusion and I would hope that this allays your concerns and fear of anything more sinister occurring on that date."

An email from the investigating officer to Tarek on February 28.

Tarek also submitted a complaint of racial discrimination to NSW police minister Yasmin Catley, who asked NSW Police to respond on her behalf.

Catley did not respond to a request for comment.

On March 26, during speeches marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, Greens MLC Sue Higginson raised Tarek's matter in state Parliament.

"Those words were not innocuous. They were a deliberate invocation of racist, Islamophobic tropes. The neighbour and their family were labelled, targeted and threatened based on their religion," Higginson said. "The complaint was made, the footage was provided and the police response was dismissive."

"Since when is invoking racist and Islamophobic tropes in front of your Muslim neighbour considered banter?" Higginson asked. "We cannot turn a blind eye to Islamophobia, especially from those who wear the uniform."