Police on hand as bikies mourn slain Comanchero leader Mahmoud ‘Mick’ Hawi

UNDER a heavy police presence, hundreds of mourners — including Comanchero bikies — gathered to farewell slain bikie Mick Hawi.

MOURNERS arrived in a fleet of luxury vehicles to farewell murdered Comanchero boss Mahmoud “Mick” Hawi at his funeral today.

His grieving widow, Carolina Gonzalez, is believed to have travelled to the Al-Zahra mosque in a white Rolls Royce with her children. Other mourners were dropped off in white stretch Bentleys.

The funeral, held in the southern Sydney suburb of Arncliffe, was heavily monitored by police, who took photographs of every man, woman and child who arrived for the service.

A mosque official told news.com.au that motor bikes were banned from the vicinity for the duration of the funeral.

Bikies and the dead man’s friends filed in behind a man holding a framed photograph of the murdered former Comanchero president.

The hearse carrying the coffin of Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi leaves after his funeral at the Fatima Al-Zahra Masjid. Picture: AAP

Bikies leave after the funeral of Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi at the Fatima Al-Zahra Masjid mosque in Arncliffe. Picture: AAP

Dressed in black, but not wearing their club colours or gang patches, they shook hands with security before entering the mosque to join other mourners in prayers over Hawi’s body.

Some men wore black T-shirts and hoodies with a picture of Hawi printed on the back.

The Brisbane chapter of the Comanchero sent a wreath which arrived about an hour before the service began and was transported inside by a security guard.

A mourner at Mahmoud Hawi’s funeral wears a special T-shirt. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Friends file in to Mick Hawi’s funeral at Al-Zahra Mosque behind a man carrying a photograph of the slain Comanchero. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Women in hijabs arrived to pay their respects at the funeral of Mahmoud ‘Mick’ Hawi on Thursday. Picture: AAP.

Comrades in arms: Friends of Mick Hawi gather at the Al-Zahra Mosque. Picture: Jeremy Piper.

Tattooed men dressed in black outside the mosque where mourners paid their respects to Mick Hawi. Picture: AAP.

A mosque official told news.com.au that he had not seen the gang members enter the mosque on a previous occasion, and that they were “from a different world”.

Of Hawi’s violent death the official said, “it’s sad that he was killed, but if you play with fire that’s what you get.”.

The 37-year-old was scheduled to be buried in the Islamic section of Rookwood Cemetery after 3pm on Thursday.

Earlier it was revealed that Carolina Gonzalez extracted sperm from the body of her assassinated husband after his death.

Mourners leave after the funeral for Mick Hawi. Picture: AAP

Mourner's leave after the funeral of Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi at the Fatima Al-Zahra Masjid (mosque) in Arncliffe, Sydney, Thursday, February 22, 2018. (AAP Image/POOL) NO ARCHIVING

She was granted permission to posthumously extract the sperm just 24 hours after Hawi was gunned down on February 15 in a surprise attack at a suburban gym, Fairfax News reported.

Ms Gonzales submitted the application to the NSW Supreme Court the day after Hawi went into cardiac arrest and later died from being shot in the face at Rockdale Fitness First.

The couple, who married in 2002, had two children before he was jailed over the 2009 Sydney Airport bikie brawl and then released on appeal in 2015.

Ms Gonzalez declared her love for her slain husband in a series of heartbreaking messages. She wrote on Facebook of her husband’s “beautiful heart” and asked for “prayers for his beautiful soul”.

In another message posted on Monday, she wrote: “Only I, his close friends and family know how truly beautiful his heart was.”

Mick Hawi with wife Carolina in a 2015 picture posted to Facebook. Picture: Supplied

Mick Hawi’s wife Carolina Gonzalez at a Comanchero Christmas party cruise on Sydney Harbour. Picture: Supplied

Ms Gonzalez was inundated with messages of support from friends, many of whom spoke of their unique love.

“A true love story you two, he will live through your beautiful boys for always,” wrote one friend.

Another posted: “Oh Carolina, I never knew anyone who love their husband as much as you love Mick. My heart aches for you and your boys.”

Another promised to look after her family in his absence, writing: “We are all shattered, he was a brother to us all and we are your brothers too. We have your back just like Mick had.”

A man fights back tears out the front of Fitness First, Rockdale the scene were Mick Hawi was shot and later died. Picture: Supplied

Hawi was shot multiple times while he sat in his luxury Mercedes 4WD outside the Fitness First gym in Rockdale.

He died in St George Hospital that night, aged 37.

Police are still hunting his killers, who were captured on CCTV fleeing the scene.

Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Hawi moved to Australia with his parents, brother and three sisters as a young boy in 1985.

Hawk and his associates were captured on CCTV at Sydney airport during the fatal 2009 brawl. Picture: NewsCorp

He rose to prominence for his role in the infamous bikie brawl at Sydney Airport in 2009 while he was the national president of the Comanchero.

Passengers in the terminal watched on in fear as the club clashed with rival Hells Angels members. Associate Anthony Zervas was bludgeoned to death with a bollard.

Hawi did time in prison for his role in the killing and, since his release in 2015, laid low in south Sydney.

Following Hawi’s funeral service, he will be laid to rest at Rookwood Cemetery.

Flowers out the front of Fitness First, Rockdale where Mick Hawi was shot and later died. Picture: NewsCorp

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Originally published as Police on hand as bikies mourn slain Comanchero leader Mahmoud ‘Mick’ Hawi