Sam Ibrahim will be killed if deported to Lebanon: lawyers
The cousin of underworld figure Sam Ibrahim said he will “live like a king’s king” if he is deported to Lebanon.
NSW
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The cousin of underworld figure Sam Ibrahim said he will “live like a king’s king” if he is deported to Lebanon.
Ibrahim, who is the older brother of well-known Sydney identity John Ibrahim, was smuggled in a police convoy from Long Bail jail to Sydney Airport, where he was put on a flight to Perth on Thursday morning before his family or lawyers were even aware of it.
His cousin, Moudi Tajjour took to Instagram to tell the “haters keep hating”.
“My cousin got deported lot (sic) people are talking sh*t but U all are sad to think he is being punished,” he said.
“His (sic) a multi-millionaire will live like a king’s king in Lebanon and most likely travel across the globe so if anyone thinks his (sic) suffering LOL his (sic) suffering LOL his actually most likely deep-down happy to be finally free.
“May his journey be as peaceful as it can be.”
Ibrahim’s lawyer meanwhile has said returning him to Lebanon could be a death sentence.
In Perth, Hassan “Sam” Ibrahim, 51, will fight the Australian government’s efforts to send him back Lebanon, where he was born before moving to Australia as a child in 1970. He never took out Australian citizenship.
Ibrahim spent more than five years behind bars for a firearms offence, during which time Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton cancelled his permanent residency visa.
He was granted parole in September but instead of transferring Ibrahim to Villawood Detention Centre, prison authorities struck a deal with immigration staff to keep him in jail for his own safety.
NSW Police Criminal Groups Squad boss Detective Superintendent Robert Critchlow made no apologies for bundling Ibrahim onto a plane in secret, given his entrenched connections to the underworld.
“It went off like a Swiss watch,” Det Supt Critchlow told The Daily Telegraph.
“There’s enormous risk around this fellow. There was information we had which indicated we had to be very careful and very safe.
“It wasn’t meant to be tricky or sneaky, it was meant to be safe.
“He knew he was in a serious pickle and we would not put anything passed him, so we took decisive action.”
He said NSW Police, the AFP and the ABF were all involved in ensuring Ibrahim left NSW without intervention.
“It’s a great day for the state. I’ve been involved with investigations concerning this individual since I was a constable in the gang squad,” Det Supt Critchlow said.
“I’m overjoyed to see the back of him.”
Ibrahim’s immigration lawyer William Levingston told The Telegraph “it’s not over for Sam” in his fight to prevent the Australian government returning him to Lebanon.
“Sam has been in Australia since he was 11 years of age and has no connections in Lebanon,” Mr Levingston said.
“There has even been a credible written threat to Sam’s life which the authorities in Lebanon have sent to immigration and which may hinder his removal to Lebanon.
“The display of force by NSW Police is quite atrocious.”
However NSW Police State Crime Commander, Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith, said Ibrahim’s transfer sends a message to organised crime figures, particularly following the recent spate of shootings.
“The violent behaviour we have witnessed in recent weeks is simply unacceptable, and as you have seen, the NSW Police Force is prepared to use all powers available to us to ensure the people of NSW can feel safe,” Assistant Commissioner Smith said.
“Today, a person who for many years has conducted criminal activity with little regard for devastation he has left in his wake, has departed NSW never to return and we hope the community can find solace in that.”
Sam Ibrahim rose to prominence in the 1990s when he was a feared figure as a nightclub bouncer.
In 1998 he was recruited to the Nomads bikie gang Parramatta Chapter and rose to vice-president.
He left the group to form a new bikie gang called Notorious, which controlled the Kings Cross nightclub scene, before it disbanding in the late 2000s.
In 2011 he was shot in the legs during a drive-by shooting outside his mother’s Merrylands home.
In 2014 he was arrested and charged with supplying guns, along with former Rose Tattoo drummer Paul Demorco.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton cancelled Sam Ibrahim’s permanent residency visa on character grounds while he was behind bars.
He was granted parole last month and was expected to be released to Villawood Detention Centre where he was likely to challenge the government’s plans to deport him.
But a deal between immigration officials and corrections bosses allowed them to keep Ibrahim in Long Bay jail during his parole due to fears for his safety at Villawood.
NSW Police State Crime Commander, Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith, said Ibrahim’s transfer sends a message to organised crime figures, particularly following the recent spate of shootings.
“The violent behaviour we have witnessed in recent weeks is simply unacceptable, and as you have seen, the NSW Police Force is prepared to use all powers available to us to ensure the people of NSW can feel safe,” Assistant Commissioner Smith said.
“Today, a person who for many years has conducted criminal activity with little regard for devastation he has left in his wake, has departed NSW never to return and we hope the community can find solace in that.”
Born in Lebanon, Hassan “Sam” Ibrahim, 51, came to Australia as a child but never took out citizenship.
He rose to prominence in the 1990s when he was a feared figure as a nightclub bouncer. In 1998 he was recruited to the Nomads bikie gang Parramatta Chapter and rose to vice-president.
He left the group to form a new bikie gang called Notorious which controlled the Kings Cross nightclub scene until disbanding in the late 2000s.
In 2011 he was shot in the legs during a drive by shooting outside his mother’s Merrylands home.
In 2014 he was arrested and charged with supplying guns along with former Rose Tattoo drummer Paul Demorco.
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