Niddal Acherkouk warned of hit contract before Surry Hills shooting

Niddal Acherkouk was warned just weeks ago that a contract was out on his life – and on Friday, he died just metres from one of Sydney’s busiest areas.

Two gunmen disguised in haunting black robes have been caught on CCTV as they pounced on an underworld rival and unleashed a hail of bullets upon him in what’s been described as a “meticulously planned” execution in Sydney’s inner city.

Niddal Acherkouk was warned just weeks ago that a contract was out on his life – and on Friday, he died just metres from one of Sydney’s busiest areas, in front of terrified families and diners enjoying their Friday night on Crown Street.

Gunshots 90 seconds prior sent people scrambling for cover, fearing they were “under attack”, before an injured man stumbled up the road, with a huge red stain growing across his back and chest.

Gunned down … Niddal Acherkouk. Picture: Supplied.

Acherkouk, who is understood to be linked to the Comanchero motorcycle gang, had pulled up to the BP service station on Cleveland Street when two men in chilling disguises ran up behind his car.

Police sources say the men had been lying in wait for Acherkouk to arrive, and had “meticulously planned” his impending assassination.

Acherkouk desperately tries to flee vehicle as gunmen approach him. Supplied.

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

Niddal Acherkouk runs for his life as gunmen strike. Supplied.

Gunman takes aim at Acherkouk. Supplied.

The gunmen went to extraordinary lengths to hide their identities from law enforcement, wearing black ponchos that resembled capes, balaclavas, gloves and long pants, concealing their faces, skin colour and even body shape.

After leaping from a Porsche parked at the servo, they ran at their target from behind, and when they reached the driver’s side window, unleashed a hail of bullets toward Acherkouk.

Camera footage captured Acherkouk’s terror, as scurried across to the passenger seat of the car and out the door – running from the men who were trying to kill him.

His car, still in drive, then ran up the front kerb of the petrol station, as the gunmen chased after him and fired several more shots in his direction.

However, they quickly pulled back, running back to the Porsche and speeding away from the scene.

Assassins give chase as Acherkouk runs from car park. Supplied.

Acherkouk, 31, made it 20 metres to the corner of Crown Street, where he collapsed in the arms of a stranger who screamed: “he’s been shot, call an ambulance, call a bloody ambulance.”

Triple-0 calls flooded through to police and paramedics, as panicked diners enjoying Sydney’s first real taste of summer ran to safety.

“They were huge bangs, one after the other, really quickly,” a Crown Street business owner told the Telegraph.

“Everyone was screaming, running. People said ‘we are under attack’.”

Dramatic video captured the moment a mother grabbed her children and ran into a tobacconist screaming at them to “close the door now” as they huddled in the corner.

“I can’t fathom it,” a local woman named Helen said.

Blood stains left on the road in Surry Hills. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

“It’s lucky more weren’t hurt or killed. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Acherkouk was treated by a flurry of paramedics as the busy Cleveland Street was closed down, but was pronounced dead shortly after the shooting.

South Sydney Police Area Command Superintendent Andrew Garner said police had launched a major investigation to find the gunmen, who endangered more than just one life on Friday night.

“This was an outrageous incident that demonstrated a high level of reckless indifference to the public around that area,” he said.

“Police are working very hard to identify and arrest those involved.

“(My message to them) … We’re coming for you.”

Shortly after the shooting, the Porsche driven by the gunmen was found on fire at a Kensington unit block.

Police confirmed Acherkouk was known to them and had gang-links, while the Telegraph understands he had been notified less than three weeks ago that a contract was out for his assassination.

The Porsche used in the fatal shooting of Niddal Acherkouk was set alight in Kensington. Picture: Supplied

The planned hit followed a prior incident where three men attempted to kidnap him last year.

Last July, it’s understood a man wearing a balaclava ran at Acherkouk as he left a Punchbowl gym, and tried to force his way into the 30-year-old’s car.

Acherkouk started driving, and the pair wrestled inside the car for a short time, before the vehicle crashed into the front window of the store.

Detectives from Campsie Police Area Command launched an investigation, which revealed three men – all wearing balaclavas – were seen fleeing the scene in a white van.

An underworld source told the Telegraph Acherkouk was an associate of the Comanchero but was not a member and was a builder by trade.

It’s feared the assassination could lead to further reprisal attacks in Sydney, reigniting the gang war that’s claimed more than two dozen lives since late-2020.