Police looking for masked man after restaurant owner stabbed, building set alight

NSW Police have released video of a masked and hooded man who stabbed a Sydney restaurant owner before setting his building on fire and leaving him to die alongside his dog. WATCH THE CCTV FOOTAGE.

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Terrifying vision has been released of a masked and hooded man creeping through the courtyard of an inner-Sydney restaurant before it was set alight and the owner was stabbed in the back.

Police say they are treating the incident as attempted murder and arson after a severely injured Angelo Ziotas, 37, was rescued from the first floor of Essenza Italian, on Crown St in Surry Hills after a fire broke out about 11am on July 4.

His beloved dog Lexxie couldn’t be rescued and died of smoke inhalation.

Restaurant owner Angelo Ziotas was severely injured during the attempted murder inside his Surry Hills restaurant.

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A special strike force has been set up to investigate the incident and police released CCTV on Tuesday of a man dressed in black, with his face covered and holding an unidentified object in his left hand, creeping through the courtyard of the building at 8.46am — two hours before the attack.

He is described as being 175cm-180cm tall with a medium build.

Detective Chief Inspector Adam Johnson said the restaurant and residence above where Mr Ziotas lived were significantly damaged by the fire which had “multiple ignition points”.

“We are treating this as an attempted murder. There was significant fire damage to the restaurant. It is a serious, serious, matter,” he said.

“The victim’s wife is the co-owner. It is a difficult time for them. I’m confident we will get to the bottom of this. The restaurant is the downstairs area and the residence is upstairs. Both have been significantly damaged by fire, which was clearly intentional.”

Detectives are trying to locate his masked attacker. Picture: NSW Police

Fire crews outside the restaurant (left) on July 4. Picture: Anton Rose

Mr Ziotas, who was the only person inside at the time, was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital where he was treated for burns and multiple stab wounds to his back after being rescued by three young men, including delivery driver Ibrahim Elakkaoui, who ran into the burning building. But they could not save the dog.

“That’s our duty of care in Islam if you save a man, you can save all mankind,” Mr Elakkaoui said.

“The man said he had been stabbed, my first thought was to pick him up and rescue the dog.”

Delivery driver Ibrahim Elakkaoui who ran into a burning building to rescue a man during a fire in Surry Hills. Picture: Mitchell Van Homrigh

Strike Force Stockade have combed through hours of CCTV and spoken to numerous witnesses and are now appealing for public help to identify the man caught on camera.

A GoFundMe page has already raised almost $7000 to help Mr Ziotas and his wife.

“With the perpetrator still on the run we are raising funds to ensure that they are looked after, recover and are back on their feet sooner rather than later,” said a friend.