Top cop Karen Webb boosts strike force numbers to target gangs

NSW’s underworld has been put on notice, with the latest violent shooting prompting the state’s top cop to beef up NSW’s gang-busting squad in a bid to stamp out the bloodshed.

Police Commissioner Karen Webb has declared war on Sydney’s underworld, bolstering the number of officers in the gang-busting Raptor Squad by 30 and vowing to target members and associates of criminal groups.

The shooting of Comanchero bikie boss Tarek Zahed, 41, and his brother Omar, 39, inside the Bodyfit gym on Parramatta Rd at Auburn on Tuesday night is the latest escalation of violence to occur in the city’s west.

Omar died at the scene while Tarek is stable in hospital, despite being shot 10 times, including in the head.

The attack is the 12th fatal shooting to occur on Sydney’s streets in the past two years and comes less than two weeks after the assassination of Mahmoud “Brownie” Ahmad who, like the Zaheds, had a bounty on his head. The latest bloody incident — in a busy, public gym during the peak evening hours — has led Ms Webb to demand her forces stop any further violence on our streets.

“That’s my greatest fear, that someone will be hit in crossfire, the wrong person will get hit and an innocent member of the public will be killed,” Ms Webb said.

Shot down... Omar and Tarek Zahed.

Police and paramedics tend to the victims.

“Additional resources have been allocated to this investigation and Strike Force Raptor has been boosted to 145 officers to combat this.

“It will be an intelligence-led operation targeting criminals to make sure they don’t compromise public safety.”

Boosting police presence... NSW Police Force Commissioner Karen Webb.

“It will be zero tolerance.“We know who we are targeting. We are not targeting mums and dads, we are targeting criminals.”

Ms Webb’s announcement on Wednesday was backed by Police Minister Paul Toole who described the fatal shooting as “shocking, disturbing and unacceptable”.

He also issued a stinging warning to the underworld, saying police are determined the crackdown will work. “We know that this was a targeted attack, but when it happens at 8pm at night, and it happens in a public place, at a gym, it is not going to be tolerated,” Mr Toole said.“We will actually kick down doors, we will raid homes, we will raid busin­esses, we will harass you, we will disrupt your everyday life to stamp this kind of ­behaviour out.”

Police have formed Strike Force Leary with a union of officers from Raptor Squad, Criminal Groups Squad and Homicide Squad to investigate the shooting. Forensic officers and ­detectives spent the day combing not only the gym crime scene, but also two ­locations at Berala and Greenacre where the burnt-out getaway cars were dumped.

Police were seen inspecting a burnt gun found at the site of the torched Audi at Berala. Officers were seen handling the small weapon along with two bullets.

Police forensic teams canvass the bullet-riddled doors at BodyFit Auburn after the shooting, Picture: John Grainger

CCTV shows a person of interest setting one of the Audi G7s on fire, almost setting himself on fire in the process.  

Tarek Zahed’s seemingly miraculous survival after being hit by 10 bullets does not mean he is out of the woods. He remained in an induced coma in a stable condition last night after undergoing surgery for his injuries.

“Police were first on the scene and gave CPR, and probably saved Tarek Zahed’s life, and that’s why he’s alive,’’ Homicide Squad boss Danny Doh­erty said.

Yesterday, eyewitnesses to the bloody ambush were struggling to comprehend what they had seen.

The body of Omar Zahed in the foyer of the Body Fit gym on Parramatta Rd.

Gym-goer Azis Alruk said he cowered behind a treadmill when he heard the blast of bullets smash through the gym’s glass front doors.

“I heard about 20 bullets, it happened quickly, in 20 seconds,’’ Mr Alruk said.

“I was in the gym when the guns were fired, everyone was screaming trying to run out of gym, there were around 30 of us. We were scared. I just tried to hide myself behind the treadmill.

“I was full of fear.”

Eyewitnesses to the burnt out getaway cars in Greenacre and Berala described hearing deafening explosions and seeing young men run from the cars they torched.

“I saw one man jump out of his car, set fire to it and run into another car parked nearby, and they screeched off, followed by another car,’’ onlooker Ming Zhong, 68, from Berala said. “Suddenly there was bright light in my unit, it was from the fire of the burning car outside.

“I didn’t know what was happening but a young man in his 20s in a black top who burned the car was shouting ‘go, go, go’.” 

One of the care alight in Berala. Picture: TN

Premier Dominic Perrottet says NSW police have the state’s spiralling public executions “under control” despite two people being gunned down in the foyer of a western Sydney gym.

“There is no place for crime and these criminals in our city and in our state, and if you are involved, Strike Force Raptor in New South Wales Police Force are going to hunt you down and lock you up,” he said.

“There is zero tolerance for this criminal behaviour in our city. And Strike Force Raptor is well equipped (to) hunt you down and they’re going to lock you up. So don’t get involved.”

Mr Perrottet said Strike Force Raptor had more resources beyond the recruitment of 30 additional police officers.

“We have put extensive resources into New South Wales Police Force. It’s not just that 30. They continue to build up their teams. We implemented Strike Force Raptor years ago just to crack down on this type of criminal behaviour,” he said.

NSW Labor police spokesman Walt Secord said in a statement he was worried about a member of the public being hurt.

“Crime gangs are carrying out attacks with impunity and with no regard for the safety of others,” he said.

“Frankly, I’m less concerned about feuding gangsters killing each other and far more concerned about innocent bystanders getting killed in the crossfire.

“The community has been patient. The wave of shootings has gone on too long. This is about community safety.”