Auburn kebab shop shooting: Police probe link between two car fires in Western Sydney and underworld shooting
An investigation is underway into two suspicious car fires in Western Sydney following a gangland shooting at a kebab shop which left three people injured, including a female worker.
Alleged underworld figure Samimjan Azari, 26, was targeted for the third time early Monday afternoon while inside M Brothers Takeaway shop in the Western Sydney suburb of Auburn.
It is understood at least two masked gunmen opened fire on the Turkish kebab shop, hitting Azari in the arm and shoulder while a male friend was struck in the face.
A woman working at the eatery was shot twice in the torso.
Police said the shooters tried to get access to an office inside the restaurant before they fled the scene in a black Audi Q7 with cloned number plates.
A few hours later a car matching the description was found on fire in Harris Park.
Emergency services were then called to two other vehicles fires in the area at Merrylands and Greystanes within ten minutes of one another early Friday morning.
The first blaze happened at the driveway of a Hilltop Road home in Merrylands about 3.10am. Firefighters extinguished the fire but the car sustained significant damage.
Later, a vehicle also parked outside a home was torched on Gerald Street in Greystanes.
Neighbours helped put out the flames but the car was destroyed.
A crime scene has been set up at both locations, with officers from Taskforce Falcon - who are also investigating the shooting - looking into the suspicious fires.
NSW Police Acting Commissioner Peter Thurtell on Monday said the gunmen walked into the Turkish eatery and fired at least eight shots during lunch time.
"It's beyond comprehension that three people be shot in a crowded Sydney street in broad daylight," he said at a press conference.
Azari had survived two other attempted assassinations, one just weeks earlier in May and the other in February. He expressed concerns about his life on Friday.
The 26-year-old had reported to Auburn Police Station about one hour before the shooting.
'The fact that he was out again in public, I don't know what that says, to be honest, about what he was thinking," Act Comm Thurtell said on Monday.
According to The Daily Telegraph, police are looking into whether the gunmen were hired on Airtasker, an online marketplace people used to help complete everyday tasks.
Detectives are also probing whether the Auburn gunmen are the same ones who targeted three men parked at traffic lights in Granville last month.
Alleged Alameddine associate Darwood Zakaria, 32, died after being shot in the head.
Driver and lawyer Sylvan Singh, 25, desperately tried to escape and drove towards Parramatta before he stopped the car on Church St, near the M4 Motorway offramp.
The series of shootings in Sydney has sparked fears of an all-out gangland war.
Taskforce Falcon will look into 11 incidents dating back to December 2024.
It includes at least six public place shootings across Sydney, arsons at barbershops and the two shooting murders of John Versace, 23, who was set upon by a gunman in Condell Park, and David Khou, 31, gunned down outside his Canley Heights home.
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News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
‘Abhorrent': Kebab shop worker latest innocent victim caught in gangland crossfire
A kebab shop employee fighting for her life in hospital after being hit twice in the stomach in Sydney's latest brazen gangland shooting has been identified as Yurdagul Aydogu. The 50-year-old employee at M Brothers Takeaway, known as Gul, was caught in the crossfire with police describing her as an innocent victim simply doing her job. Ms Aydogu is in a critical condition, in an induced coma at Westmead Hospital. Police say the shooting, in front of a busy lunchtime crowd in Auburn, was a targeted underworld hit. Alleged gangland figure Samimjan Azari, 26, was the intended target, with detectives revealing it was the fourth time an attempt had been made on his life. Video footage shows Azari grabbing a chair to shield himself as two masked men run at him, while firing bullets at him and a man said to be his bodyguard. Ms Aydogu was hit in the midsection by two stray bullets. She is the 14th innocent person caught in the crossfire of the escalating gang wars said to have been sparked by a feud between the Alameddine crime clan and their former enforcers, the KVT. State Police Minister Yasmin Catley said this week it was 'abhorrent' that civilians were being caught in the crossfire of apparent underworld violence. 'A woman has been caught up in this event, an innocent victim doing her job, all she did is go to work and she has been caught up in this shocking event,' she said. 'It's one thing for criminals to be shooting each other, but when innocent people get caught up in this, it is absolutely abhorrent and we will not tolerate it.' Since the gang war began in October 2020, seven innocent people have been shot dead and at least another seven have been injured. Plumber John Versace was killed in a case of mistaken identity in May this year. A masked gunman dived from a Corolla and fired 10 shots at the young plumber in Condell Park as he screamed at him to stop. Described by relatives as 'a beautiful boy, an innocent boy,' Mr Versace had no known criminal associations. Thi Kim Tran, a 45-year-old mother originally from Vietnam, was tragically killed in Sydney on April 17 in what authorities described as a targeted act of gang-related violence. She was abducted from her home in Bankstown by five masked men and later found dead in a burnt-out SUV in Beverly Hills. Police believe the attack was linked to her partner's alleged involvement with an organised crime syndicate. During the home invasion, Ms Tran's eight-year-old son was severely beaten with a baseball bat and placed in an induced coma, while her 15-year-old son witnessed the traumatic event. Authorities have emphasised that Ms Tran and her children had no involvement in criminal activities. A month earlier, grandmother Kim Duncan was killed when she was hit by a slew of bullets which were fired into her Ambarvale home. Ms Duncan was not the intended target, but tragically died when she was struck by a piece of shrapnel. In 2023, Ahmad Al Azzam, 25, was killed and a young couple seriously injured in a bungled gangland shooting at an industrial estate in Greenacre. An innocent couple were also caught up in the shooting after the gunman's shots pierced their car parked 50 metres down the street. Kaashif Richards, 22, was shot in the neck and Achiraya Jantharat, 19, was shot in the back. Police sources said while Richards and Jantharat were together, they did not know Al-Azzam – who also did not have gang links. In the same year Taha Sabbagh, a 40-year-old father and well-known chauffeur in Sydney's Middle Eastern community, was killed in a targeted shooting outside the Elite Fight Force gym in Sefton. A getaway driver has been jailed, with the case playing out in court as one of mistaken identity. An innocent Sydney hairdresser was shot dead in 2022. Amy Al-Hazouri, 39, was shot dead alongside 48-year-old Lametta Fadlallah when their car was sprayed with bullets in Panania in what police labelled a targeted 'assassination'. Also in 2022, Toufik Hamze, 64, was executed alongside his son Salim, 18, as they cleaned a car outside their Guildford home. While Salim was believed to have been caught up in the underworld, Mr Toufik was just collateral, executed at close range. Also in 2022, a nine-year-old girl was shot in Connells Point as she walked from the car to the front of her home. It was an attack that sickened police, and left her with life long injuries. In 2021, Mustapha Naaman, 29, was killed in a volley of gunfire as he left a boxing fight night. Police again believe it was a case of mistaken identity. In the same year Rama Osman was shot in the head with a stray bullet while he was sitting in his car a few hundred metres up the road when low-level Alameddine crime clan member Shady Kanj was assassinated. Mr Osman had no links to any gang – and police said he was an innocent bystander. NSW Police Acting Commissioner Peter Thurtell described the latest shooting as 'beyond comprehension' and promised every available resource would be thrown at catching those responsible.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Dramatic CCTV shows gunmen open fire in Sydney restaurant
Pointing to a bullet hole on the counter top, Rahimi said he hadn't realised shots had been fired so close to where he and his staff were working. 'I didn't even see this bullet coming,' he told Nine News. During the shooting, Rahimi ran to the aid of his staff member, who was shot twice in the torso, applying pressure to her wounds while they waited for ambulances to arrive. Rahimi said the 47-year-old mother has worked at the store for a couple of years, adding she was 'very hard-working, very honest, very nice lady'. 'My staff is my first priority now, so I just hope she's doing all right, and we will support her [with] anything we can,' he said. 'She doesn't deserve it, to get shot.' A major manhunt continued on Tuesday for the shooters, with investigators probing three suspicious car blazes on Monday night as part of their inquiries. A black Audi Q7, believed to be the gunmen's getaway vehicle, was found alight on Wigram Street in Harris Park just before 6pm. Police believe the second vehicle found ablaze about 3.20am, a white ute in Greystanes, was used in another planned attack on Azari on June 13 in Rozelle. 'We believe [the incident] was another attempted attack on the 26-year-old male from the shooting yesterday,' Detective Superintendent Jason Box, the commander of Taskforce Falcon, said at a press conference. 'On this occasion, witnesses sighted a white ute with several occupants and their faces covered, and one occupant was believed to be holding a firearm. The 26-year-old male and his associates fled the scene.' The 25-year-old associate who was shot on Monday, and remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition, was also present during the June 13 planned attack. When police attended the Rozelle scene a short time later, Azari provided 'limited information' about the attempt on his life. Loading 'He was made aware of threats against his life. He acknowledged those threats against his life, to an extent, he was reasonably dismissive of what we had to say, and he's obviously continued his movements in the public area with not a great deal of concern,' Box said. Police are still investigating whether a third vehicle that was set ablaze overnight, a red Commodore found outside a home in Merrylands, is connected to the attempts on Azari's life. Police allege Azari has climbed the ranks of the Alameddine network to become one of its most senior members not to have fled overseas or be serving a lengthy prison sentence. Investigators from Taskforce Falcon, established to crack down on escalating gangland violence, are probing whether Monday's shooters are the same men who opened fire on Azari last month on Woodville Road in Granville, killing Alameddine associate Dawood Zakaria, 32, and injuring Parramatta lawyer Sylvan Singh, 25. Zakaria died in hospital several days later. A day after the assassination attempt, police warned Azari was at the 'epicentre' of an ongoing feud between the Alameddine clan and rival organised crime networks, and that he could be targeted as part of a 'tit-for-tat' gangland war if granted bail on firearms offences laid after the Granville shooting. 'There will be further bloodshed on the streets – the streets will not be safe,' police prosecutor Kai Jiang told Parramatta Local Court, in the failed attempt to keep Azari in custody. Acting Police Commissioner Peter Thurtell on Monday said police held concerns a 'war' within the Alameddine network had imploded and spilled onto Sydney's streets. Loading Multiple police sources not authorised to speak publicly say internal conflict between subgroups of the Alameddine crime network is to blame for the spate of shootings. With no clear leader in the wake of kingpin Rafat Alameddine leaving Australia, tensions have risen between the Fijian-dominated KVT – a group who were previously used by the Alameddines as enforcers – and the so-called Afghani crew, as well as gang members aligned with other senior members of the crime group. The ongoing conflict and recent shootings have sparked fears of attacks in the underworld, with several Alameddine members and associates taking measures to make themselves less predictable. NSW Premier Chris Minns labelled the shooting labelled 'shockingly brazen'.
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- The Advertiser
Kebab shop shooting continues state's 'violent chapter'
A triple shooting at a suburban restaurant has prompted an attorney-general to review a bail decision for the target of the attack amid fears of escalating gangland violence. A 26-year-old man, identified in media reports as senior Alameddine criminal network member Samimjam Azari, is in a stable condition after the latest attempt on his life. He is expected to recover fully after being shot in the arm and shoulder at a western Sydney eatery. A 25-year-old man accompanying him was shot in the head and is in a critical but stable condition, while a 47-year-old woman who worked at the restaurant is stable after being shot in the torso and arm. The trio were injured when gunmen struck an Auburn kebab shop in the eighth Sydney shooting in six weeks, marking an escalation in the city's gangland wars. The shop was closed on Tuesday afternoon while neighbouring businesses contended with a busy afternoon trade. More than 150 police have been knocking on doors to check bail compliance, search for guns and warn other potential targets as part of a task force established after a shooting in May. "We're doing absolutely everything we can to ensure that this does not happen again," Detective Superintendent Jason Box told reporters. The "saturation" of police in the area may have put criminals on edge and led to the delay between the shooting and a series of fires involving cars believed to be linked to the attack, Det Supt Box said. It was also evident when riot police were among those responding to reports of a brawl involving schoolchildren near the scene of the shooting on Tuesday afternoon. Azari was "reasonably dismissive" when police earlier warned him of threats to his life. "I'm hoping that this individual reassesses his movements," Det Supt Box said. He had reported to police on bail an hour before the shooting on Monday. Two cars were found alight about 3.15am on Tuesday in Merrylands and Greystanes, not far from the kebab shop, with residents helping police extinguish one vehicle. A black Audi - believed to be a getaway vehicle after the shooting - was earlier found alight about 6pm on Monday at Harris Park. A white ute found alight on Tuesday morning was allegedly carrying masked and armed men targeting Azari on Friday. He also survived other recent shootings at Granville and Brighton-Le-Sands. Police expressed concerns of further violence when asking for Azari to be refused bail and will continue to do so for other alleged criminals believed to be linked to organised crime. "We'll be putting forward our concerns for these people not to be on the streets and it's quite obvious that they shouldn't be," Det Supt Box said. Premier Chris Minns told reporters Attorney-General Michael Daley was looking at the transcript of the court's decision to grant Azari bail. The government has tightened bail laws for certain offences in the past and would consider doing so again, but police had all the resources required to catch "these animals". "Their disregard for human life, their disregard for the laws that we have in Australia, is horrifying," Mr Minns said. "This is a horrifying, violent chapter in the state's history and it needs to be met with the full force of the law." A triple shooting at a suburban restaurant has prompted an attorney-general to review a bail decision for the target of the attack amid fears of escalating gangland violence. A 26-year-old man, identified in media reports as senior Alameddine criminal network member Samimjam Azari, is in a stable condition after the latest attempt on his life. He is expected to recover fully after being shot in the arm and shoulder at a western Sydney eatery. A 25-year-old man accompanying him was shot in the head and is in a critical but stable condition, while a 47-year-old woman who worked at the restaurant is stable after being shot in the torso and arm. The trio were injured when gunmen struck an Auburn kebab shop in the eighth Sydney shooting in six weeks, marking an escalation in the city's gangland wars. The shop was closed on Tuesday afternoon while neighbouring businesses contended with a busy afternoon trade. More than 150 police have been knocking on doors to check bail compliance, search for guns and warn other potential targets as part of a task force established after a shooting in May. "We're doing absolutely everything we can to ensure that this does not happen again," Detective Superintendent Jason Box told reporters. The "saturation" of police in the area may have put criminals on edge and led to the delay between the shooting and a series of fires involving cars believed to be linked to the attack, Det Supt Box said. It was also evident when riot police were among those responding to reports of a brawl involving schoolchildren near the scene of the shooting on Tuesday afternoon. Azari was "reasonably dismissive" when police earlier warned him of threats to his life. "I'm hoping that this individual reassesses his movements," Det Supt Box said. He had reported to police on bail an hour before the shooting on Monday. Two cars were found alight about 3.15am on Tuesday in Merrylands and Greystanes, not far from the kebab shop, with residents helping police extinguish one vehicle. A black Audi - believed to be a getaway vehicle after the shooting - was earlier found alight about 6pm on Monday at Harris Park. A white ute found alight on Tuesday morning was allegedly carrying masked and armed men targeting Azari on Friday. He also survived other recent shootings at Granville and Brighton-Le-Sands. Police expressed concerns of further violence when asking for Azari to be refused bail and will continue to do so for other alleged criminals believed to be linked to organised crime. "We'll be putting forward our concerns for these people not to be on the streets and it's quite obvious that they shouldn't be," Det Supt Box said. Premier Chris Minns told reporters Attorney-General Michael Daley was looking at the transcript of the court's decision to grant Azari bail. The government has tightened bail laws for certain offences in the past and would consider doing so again, but police had all the resources required to catch "these animals". "Their disregard for human life, their disregard for the laws that we have in Australia, is horrifying," Mr Minns said. "This is a horrifying, violent chapter in the state's history and it needs to be met with the full force of the law." A triple shooting at a suburban restaurant has prompted an attorney-general to review a bail decision for the target of the attack amid fears of escalating gangland violence. A 26-year-old man, identified in media reports as senior Alameddine criminal network member Samimjam Azari, is in a stable condition after the latest attempt on his life. He is expected to recover fully after being shot in the arm and shoulder at a western Sydney eatery. A 25-year-old man accompanying him was shot in the head and is in a critical but stable condition, while a 47-year-old woman who worked at the restaurant is stable after being shot in the torso and arm. The trio were injured when gunmen struck an Auburn kebab shop in the eighth Sydney shooting in six weeks, marking an escalation in the city's gangland wars. The shop was closed on Tuesday afternoon while neighbouring businesses contended with a busy afternoon trade. More than 150 police have been knocking on doors to check bail compliance, search for guns and warn other potential targets as part of a task force established after a shooting in May. "We're doing absolutely everything we can to ensure that this does not happen again," Detective Superintendent Jason Box told reporters. The "saturation" of police in the area may have put criminals on edge and led to the delay between the shooting and a series of fires involving cars believed to be linked to the attack, Det Supt Box said. It was also evident when riot police were among those responding to reports of a brawl involving schoolchildren near the scene of the shooting on Tuesday afternoon. Azari was "reasonably dismissive" when police earlier warned him of threats to his life. "I'm hoping that this individual reassesses his movements," Det Supt Box said. He had reported to police on bail an hour before the shooting on Monday. Two cars were found alight about 3.15am on Tuesday in Merrylands and Greystanes, not far from the kebab shop, with residents helping police extinguish one vehicle. A black Audi - believed to be a getaway vehicle after the shooting - was earlier found alight about 6pm on Monday at Harris Park. A white ute found alight on Tuesday morning was allegedly carrying masked and armed men targeting Azari on Friday. He also survived other recent shootings at Granville and Brighton-Le-Sands. Police expressed concerns of further violence when asking for Azari to be refused bail and will continue to do so for other alleged criminals believed to be linked to organised crime. "We'll be putting forward our concerns for these people not to be on the streets and it's quite obvious that they shouldn't be," Det Supt Box said. Premier Chris Minns told reporters Attorney-General Michael Daley was looking at the transcript of the court's decision to grant Azari bail. The government has tightened bail laws for certain offences in the past and would consider doing so again, but police had all the resources required to catch "these animals". "Their disregard for human life, their disregard for the laws that we have in Australia, is horrifying," Mr Minns said. "This is a horrifying, violent chapter in the state's history and it needs to be met with the full force of the law." A triple shooting at a suburban restaurant has prompted an attorney-general to review a bail decision for the target of the attack amid fears of escalating gangland violence. A 26-year-old man, identified in media reports as senior Alameddine criminal network member Samimjam Azari, is in a stable condition after the latest attempt on his life. He is expected to recover fully after being shot in the arm and shoulder at a western Sydney eatery. A 25-year-old man accompanying him was shot in the head and is in a critical but stable condition, while a 47-year-old woman who worked at the restaurant is stable after being shot in the torso and arm. The trio were injured when gunmen struck an Auburn kebab shop in the eighth Sydney shooting in six weeks, marking an escalation in the city's gangland wars. The shop was closed on Tuesday afternoon while neighbouring businesses contended with a busy afternoon trade. More than 150 police have been knocking on doors to check bail compliance, search for guns and warn other potential targets as part of a task force established after a shooting in May. "We're doing absolutely everything we can to ensure that this does not happen again," Detective Superintendent Jason Box told reporters. The "saturation" of police in the area may have put criminals on edge and led to the delay between the shooting and a series of fires involving cars believed to be linked to the attack, Det Supt Box said. It was also evident when riot police were among those responding to reports of a brawl involving schoolchildren near the scene of the shooting on Tuesday afternoon. Azari was "reasonably dismissive" when police earlier warned him of threats to his life. "I'm hoping that this individual reassesses his movements," Det Supt Box said. He had reported to police on bail an hour before the shooting on Monday. Two cars were found alight about 3.15am on Tuesday in Merrylands and Greystanes, not far from the kebab shop, with residents helping police extinguish one vehicle. A black Audi - believed to be a getaway vehicle after the shooting - was earlier found alight about 6pm on Monday at Harris Park. A white ute found alight on Tuesday morning was allegedly carrying masked and armed men targeting Azari on Friday. He also survived other recent shootings at Granville and Brighton-Le-Sands. Police expressed concerns of further violence when asking for Azari to be refused bail and will continue to do so for other alleged criminals believed to be linked to organised crime. "We'll be putting forward our concerns for these people not to be on the streets and it's quite obvious that they shouldn't be," Det Supt Box said. Premier Chris Minns told reporters Attorney-General Michael Daley was looking at the transcript of the court's decision to grant Azari bail. The government has tightened bail laws for certain offences in the past and would consider doing so again, but police had all the resources required to catch "these animals". "Their disregard for human life, their disregard for the laws that we have in Australia, is horrifying," Mr Minns said. "This is a horrifying, violent chapter in the state's history and it needs to be met with the full force of the law."
