Detectives hunt for source of explosives of 1998 car-bomb
Twenty-one years after a car-bomb killed John Furlan at Coburg North, detectives are edging closer to finding those responsible for the explosion.
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Detectives are zeroing in on key suspects in a fresh push to solve a notorious cold case car-bomb killing.
They believe they have identified the source of explosives used to blow up the vehicle of John Furlan at Coburg North in 1998.
A recent intelligence report, which investigators say is credible, suggests the explosives came from the Mordialloc area.
Investigators say they were supplied, not stolen, for the person who built the bomb.
The bomb materials were a commercially produced explosive, of a grade similar to that used in the mining industry.
The latest information came unexpectedly from a member of the public.
Police remain tight-lipped about other details of the fatal blast.
They will not reveal whether the bomb was detonated using a timer or a some kind of remote control device.
Mr Furlan, who ran a vehicle salvage business in Glenroy, had been threatened and told others he was being followed in the period before his murder.
He died in a massive blast which had the potential to kill others – including children walking to a nearby school – when it was detonated under his Subaru Liberty as it travelled along Lorensen Avenue.
Detective Sgt Paul Tierney of the arson and explosives squad has conducted a major review of the case in recent years.
That work has included recently re-interviewing witnesses and going over all intelligence holdings on the killing.
“We’ve explored a number of motives but we’ve been unable to establish one in particular,” he said.
Police have for many years had two suspects in the matter.
Italian organised crime figure Dominic Italiano and Philip Lander, a man with a criminal history and a knowledge of explosives.
Italiano had a motive for wanting Furlan killed and Lander is believed to have built and planted the bomb.
Both men are dead.
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Police believe there are others still alive – including the person who supplied the explosives – who have never been brought to justice.
A 2013 case review identified 15 people who may have had peripheral involvement in what happened.
Anyone with information on the murder of Mr Furlan can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit the website www.crimestoppers.com.au.