Melbourne’s underworld might be a vastly different place had the killer not zeroed in on Khaled Abouhasna

The theory is that Hamad was the man who was meant to die when Khaled Abouhasna was shot while sitting next to him in a parked car. 10 years on, the odds are growing longer of the murder being solved.

Kazem Hamad was sitting beside Khaled Abouhasna when Abouhasna was killed in Altona Meadows.

It’s not only the police who know the value of good intelligence.

For those wanting to carry out underworld hits, being across a target’s movements and their timing is every bit as important as pulling the trigger.

Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim dodged killers for years and even survived an ambush only to die when someone found out he’d be in an underground car park at Preston one morning in January.

Carlton Crew figure Mario Condello knew he was under threat, but a shooter, armed with a pistol and knowledge of his bail conditions, was waiting when he arrived home at East Brighton just before a curfew deadline in 2006.

The same goes for the murder of Khaled Abouhasna, known as KK, who was shot dead 10 years ago this month.

Khaled Abouhasna (right) was murdered 10 years ago.

Somebody with good mail about Abouhasna’s movements knew he would be arriving at his mother’s Altona Meadows home with brother-in-law Kazem Hamad.

About half an hour before pulling into his mother’s driveway, Abouhasna phoned her to say he would be there soon for a late coffee.

The father-of-six and Hamad pulled up in a silver Mercedes Benz shortly before 2am on April 19.

A shooter emerged from the darkness and opened fire, fatally wounding Abouhasna.

A white van parked near the murder scene, reportedly mistaken by the pair for a police surveillance vehicle, may have been used by the hit team.

Some of the most dangerous men involved in Melbourne’s Middle-Eastern organised crime scene came under scrutiny in the Abouhasna inquiry.

But the suspected killer was an open secret within criminal circles.

“Do you think they will finally charge him for KK now,” Abouhasna’s sister was allegedly recorded saying over a prison phone.

“I wouldn’t be surprised, then he would be charged with two counts of murder,” was the reply.

Melbourne’s underworld might be a vastly different place had the killer not zeroed in on Abouhasna.

He was no big player in Melbourne’s underworld, but the man in the seat beside him, Hamad, would change the city’s gangland landscape.

The theory is that Hamad was the man who was meant to die in Lewin St that night.

He escaped unhurt and has been able to evade other murder plots in the intervening years.

What that has meant is that, after his 2023 prison release for heroin trafficking, Hamad was able to make his explosive illicit tobacco sector intervention.

That resulted in two years of arson attacks, extortions and numerous homicides linked to conflict over control of the black market.

The odds of Abouhasna’s murder being solved are long and getting longer.

His name was not known to the general public but the father-of-six had A-grade connections in Melbourne’s underworld.

Among them were Toby Mitchell, Lachlan Floyd and Tyrone Bell, who have since gone their own ways.

The Hamad link was obviously a clear line of inquiry for investigators.

But a code of silence surrounding the ambush has made breaking the case difficult despite reports of failed revenge plots.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the investigation into Abouhasna remained ongoing.

“Any new information provided to police about the incident will be thoroughly investigated,” she said.

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Originally published as Melbourne’s underworld might be a vastly different place had the killer not zeroed in on Khaled Abouhasna