Caped assassins and hi-tech tactics in Sydney’s underworld

Analysis: Sydney’s underworld killings now feature organised “killing crews” using hi-tech tricks, trackers and even body-shape disguises, as the brazen assassination of Niddal Acherkouk shows.

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The killers of Sydney bikie associate Niddal Acherkouk (known as ‘Nidds’) were not wearing Batman-like capes for theatrics, it was to disguise their body shape and make it more difficult for police to get any clue as to their identity.

Gone are the days of a lone hitman walking up to their target in the middle of the night, putting a bullet in the back of someone’s head and jumping into a stolen car.

They have evolved into “killing crews’’ where every possible trick is used to beat the rapidly advancing police forensics including things like biometrics and facial recognition.

There are even rumours that after a hit, the gunmen will get implants in their shoulders to change body shape.

They are very, very aware of identity and try to cover their entire body so cops can’t use any new sort of forensics to establish things like their height and build.

Gunmen take aim as the crime figure dashes from vehicle. Picture: Supplied.

The underworld is a big business and Friday night’s public execution of “Nidds’’ in a busy Sydney street at Surry Hills would have cost a small fortune not just to pay the gunmen but in purchasing stolen cars, weapons and then to house them in a “safe house’’ after the hit or fly them interstate or even overseas.

Up to a dozen people would be involved in acquiring cars, up to five of which are used and placed all around Sydney where the killers will be dropped to make it harder for the cops to track them.

Trackers placed on cars and drones are commonly used in the lead-up to a murder to carry out surveillance on the target.

There are multiple “crews’’ in existence which can be mobilised quickly to fulfil any contracts which have been accepted, and there are plenty of people in Sydney with bounties on their heads.

The pair disguised their body shape to make it more difficult for police to get any clue to their identity. Supplied.

Bystanders rush to help a bleeding Acherkouk in the moments after he was shot. Picture: Supplied

People like Acherkouk are often well aware they have been “red flagged’’ a term meaning they have been marked for death but believe they are bulletproof, others just accept that they are going to die and carry on regardless.

They move from hotel to hotel, often luxury apartments with heavy security cameras and devices which is why more and more hits are now being carried out in public places because it’s the only time the target is vulnerable. 

Niddal Acherkouk, 31, was shot dead in the carpark of a BP petrol station at Surry Hills on Friday. Picture: Instagram

Those doing the killing often have no idea who is paying them or why the person they are going to pump bullets into is to die...all they care about is the cash or the street cred they get from being known as an assassin or an underworld figure.

There are already whispers that powerful figures in the Comanchero hierarchy are scouting for a crew once they have identified who has killed their mate, if they haven’t already.

It would fuel Sydney’s crime world which is akin to a tinderbox at the moment - with NSW police preparing for a possible wild bushfire season ahead.

A Porsche used as a getaway car by the killers, was dumped and set on fire in Kensington. Picture Supplied

The cops will know who the most likely organisation behind the death of Acherkouk is and before his body was cold, they would have been planning suppression tactics to try and stop any attempts of reprisals. 

They stop a lot more killings than the public ever hears of and warn gangsters repeatedly that their lives are in danger, but they are not their personal bodyguards and can only do so much.

Two gangsters walking around now have survived multiple attempts on their lives and repeated suggestions by the cops to get out of town but they don’t. 

It’s only a matter of time before we see more caped killers at a service station, a shopping centre or in the middle of Pitt Street, and the biggest fear is next time, the bullets will not miss the innocent people who just happen to be next to some stupid crim who is a walking deadman.

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