Hitmen for hire, underworld feuds and a woman shot at work: Everything we know about Sydney’s latest gangland shooting
An innocent woman is fighting for life after being caught in the crossfire of a gangland shooting in Sydney’s west, as detectives probe possible links to a spiralling turf war, burnt-out getaway cars, and a $50 “hitman-for-hire” job posted online.
NSW
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A wild daytime shootout at a kebab shop in Auburn has left three people seriously injured — including an innocent worker who was shot while doing her job — in what police believe was a targeted underworld hit potentially arranged through an app similar to Airtasker.
Alleged gangland figure Samimjan Azari, 26, was the intended target, with detectives probing if he was marked for death for a third time amid a violent gang feud between the Alameddine crime clan and their former enforcers, the KVT.
Two masked men entered M Brothers Takeaway just after 1.15pm on Monday and opened fire on Azari, a man acting as his bodyguard, and a 50-year-old woman behind the counter. Azari was shot in the arm and shoulder, his friend was shot in the face, and the woman copped two bullets to the torso.
All three were in serious but stable condition at Westmead Hospital on Monday night.
Investigators believe the gunmen may have been recruited via an app similar to Airtasker — a method previously used in an unrelated gangland murder plot targeting an Alameddine associate.
The gunmen fled in a black Audi Q7 with cloned plates. Detectives are also probing two other burnt-out cars discovered earlier that morning as part of the widening investigation.
Bystander videos show Azari bleeding heavily on the kebab shop floor while another man is wheeled into an ambulance with his face covered in blood. A heavily pregnant woman in a nearby business went into labour due to the commotion and was also taken to hospital.
THE VICTIMS
Three people were shot in the Auburn attack — only one of them believed to be the intended target.
Samimjan Azari, 26, is an alleged high-ranking member of the Alameddine crime group and the subject of multiple previous attempts on his life. He was shot in the arm and shoulder and is in a serious but stable condition.
A male associate, believed to be acting as Azari’s bodyguard, was shot in the face and was also hospitalised in a serious condition.
A 50-year-old woman, an employee at M Brothers Takeaway, was caught in the crossfire and shot twice in the torso. Police described her as an innocent victim simply doing her job at the time of the attack.
All three were taken to Westmead Hospital following the shooting. A fourth person — a heavily pregnant woman — went into labour in a nearby business due to the shock of the incident and was taken to the same hospital.
COPS, PREMIER, POLICE MINISTER REACT
NSW Police Acting Commissioner Peter Thurtell described the shooting as “beyond comprehension” and promised every available resource would be thrown at catching those responsible.
“As recently as last Friday, police had spoken with the man due to concerns about his safety. This man has already been the target of previous shooting attempts,” Mr Thurtell said of Azari.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the attack was “vicious, disgusting behaviour from complete animals”.
“Their disregard for human life — for innocent bystanders — is appalling. It churns your stomach to think there are people out there willing to commit these kinds of crimes with such little regard for the public,” he said.
Mr Minns also defended the work of police in tackling gang violence.
“Well, I put this in perspective, I can’t promise there isn’t going to be another one of these horrible shootings today, but what I can say is that there’s been 25 organised crime-related murders in NSW since 2021 and 20 of those have had arrests,” he said.
“The other five are still part of a major investigation. When we say we’ll put resources into this, we mean it — and when arrests are made, these people will spend decades in tiny prison cells.”
NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley called it “abhorrent” that an innocent woman was injured.
“All she did was go to work, and she has been caught up in this shocking event. 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.”
BURNT-OUT CARS INVESTIGATION
Police are investigating whether three suspicious car fires are connected to Monday’s shooting.
Two vehicles, torched just 10 minutes apart in Merrylands and Greystanes early Monday morning, have been confirmed as linked and are being treated as suspicious.
A third car found burnt-out in Harris Park — believed to be the getaway Audi Q7 used in the shooting — is still being examined.
Taskforce Falcon, which was established following the Granville shooting, is leading the investigation.
RECENT ATTEMPTS ON SAMIMJAN AZARI’S LIFE
Police say Azari has been the subject of multiple assassination attempts in recent months, including two prior shootings in Granville and Brighton-Le-Sands.
In May, police told a court that if Azari was granted bail there would be “further bloodshed on the streets” due to his status as a senior figure in the gang war.
“There will be further bloodshed on the streets – the streets will not be safe. And it’s because of Mr Azari’s standing and holding in the organised crime network,” NSW Police prosecutor Kai Jiang said at the time.
SHOOTINGS IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS
The Auburn attack is the latest in a brutal series of shootings linked to Sydney’s gangland scene, which police say is being fuelled by a rift between the Alameddines and the KVT gang, and escalating “postcode wars”.
June 12, Merrylands:
The home of alleged Alameddine boss Ali Elmoubayed was sprayed with bullets while he drove to court. A car outside the property had been firebombed days earlier.
May 25, Granville:
Azari survived a daylight ambush that killed his associate Dawood Zakaria and injured solicitor Sylvan Singh. Azari was sitting in the back seat and believed to be the target.
May 20, Condell Park:
Innocent plumber John Versace was shot dead in a suspected case of mistaken identity. Police believe an underworld figure living on the street was the intended target.
May 12, Yennora:
MMA fighter Hayder Khudhair was shot in the wrist and abdomen in a targeted attack while driving his truck.
May 9, Mount Druitt:
Over 30 shots were fired into a home just moments after alleged bikie Taniela Moeakiola arrived to visit relatives.
May 1, Marsden Park:
Masked gunmen fired into an innocent family’s home in what police say was tit-for-tat gang retaliation.
April 17, Bankstown:
Thi Kim Tran was kidnapped and executed by members of a Vietnamese drug cartel. Police suspect her partner’s ties to Victorian crime figures triggered the attack.
April 16, Guildford West:
A drive-by shooting targeted a home linked to the Alameddine-KVT feud.
March 22, Merrylands:
Bullets were fired into a family home in an attack aimed at a former resident.
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