By Alexander Darling and Marta Pascual Juanola
Police have released an image of a person of interest in the bungled firebombing that killed burlesque performer Katie Tangey – the first innocent bystander to die in Victoria’s so-called tobacco wars.
They also revealed they believed the arsonists had intended to target a different unit in the same complex in Melbourne’s outer west in the early hours of January 16.
An image of the man police want to speak to in relation to the fatal house fire that killed Katie Tangey.Credit: Victoria Police
On Thursday, police also returned to the site of the fatal fire, where Tangey had been house-sitting for her brother and sister-in-law while they were on their honeymoon, and set up an information hub in the hope it helps push their investigation forward.
CCTV of the incident captured two people getting out of a dark-coloured vehicle – similar to a BMW X3 or X5 – before an explosion at the house in Dover Street, Truganina. The same car was filmed travelling north on Forsyth Road shortly after.
Police believe Tangey was caught up in a tragic case of mistaken identity and that neither she nor her family were the intended target of the attack. Her brother’s golden retriever, Sunny, also died in the fire.
The 27-year-old’s death came after repeated warnings by police that it was only a matter of time before an innocent member of the community was caught in the crossfire, as Middle Eastern crime syndicates engaged in a violent tit-for-tat to control the tobacco black market.
A ring camera at the Dover Street house captured the moment the house is engulfed, before two men, one carrying what appears to be a jerry can, fled the scene.Credit: Police Media
The “face fit” image, compiled from enhanced CCTV footage, is of a man police would like to speak to as part of their investigation. He is described as Middle Eastern in appearance, aged between 25 and 30 years old, and with a slim build.
“If you recognise the man in the face fit, have any knowledge of those involved or the location of the car – a dark-coloured BMW X3 or X5 – I cannot implore you enough to find it in yourself to do the right thing and come forward,” said Detective Inspector Chris Murray from the arson and explosives squad.
Murray said police believe the offenders had intended to target another unit in the same building where Tangey was staying in.
“They were going after this group of units, and we have information to suggest it was tobacco related,” he said.
Detective Inspector Chris Murray speaks in Truganina on Thursday, appealing for information about the fatal house fire.Credit: Chris Hopkins
“I’d suggest they were after a [home] in this vicinity, but they got the wrong address.”
Murray said police were still trying to determine who the actual target was, but also that he didn’t believe they were still in danger.
Police began releasing new information about the investigation to the public at 7am on Thursday.
They said the timing was designed to capture the attention of “the same people who would have been going about their daily lives – a morning walk, a run, a school drop-off or commute to work” in the hours after Tangey died.
“Investigators know [she] was completely innocent and had nothing to do with the illicit tobacco trade,” police said on Thursday.
“Over the past seven weeks, a significant investigation has taken place to determine the motivation for the attack and who was responsible.”
The police van was parked across the street from the Dover Street property on Thursday morning.
A fence surrounded the concrete slab where the three-storey townhouse once stood – only the front steps and a letterbox remain intact. A red, blue and white scarf was tied around the fence.
The information van set up by police in Truganina on Thursday.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Police have made a number of arrests in recent weeks connected to the tobacco war, partly thanks to a network of informers inside the syndicate of kingpin-in-exile Kazem “Kaz” Hamad. But they are yet to arrest any suspects over the Truganina fire.
There have been more than 130 firebombings and at least three gangland murders – including that of underworld figure and boxer Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim in January – since the tobacco wars erupted in March 2023.
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