Firebombed Fighters Xpress gym denies organised crime link

A Dandenong gym targeted in a string of recent arson attacks has denied its staff are connected to organised crime, despite photos revealing its director is mates with a notorious gangland boss.

Staff and members of Fighters Xpress Gym at Dandenong after it was set on fire on July 16. Picture: David Crosling

One of the most notorious gangland figures in the country is friends with the director of a martial arts gym targeted in a string of organised crime arson attacks.

It can be revealed that Sleman “Salim” Aschna, a well-known kickboxer who runs Fighters Xpress gym in Dandenong, is close friends with Comanchero boss Tarek Zahed.

The gym, which was on Sunday gutted by fire after attackers crashed a stolen car through its front doors and set the building alight, denied that any of its staff or patrons were connected to organised crime figures.

In pictures obtained by the Herald Sun, Mr Aschna and Zahed can be seen together on multiple occasions.

Fighters Xpress director Salim Aschna on board a private plane with notorious Comancheros kingpin Tarek Zahed. Picture: Supplied

Mr Aschna, who is also the president of the World Sport Fight Martial Arts Council, was among mourners at the funeral of Zahed’s younger brother Omar Zahed after they were both shot in an ambush outside a Sydney gym last year.

He stood in the front row, dressed in a black hoodie at Omar’s burial site.

“All of our staff and members that attend and train at the gym have zero gang relations and none are involved in any war that the media is portraying us to be a part of,” Fighters Xpress said in an Instagram story.

But the pair appear to be good friends, posing side-by-side while seated on board a private jet, with the Fighters Xpress logo visible on Mr Aschna’s singlet.

Another image shows Zahed and Mr Aschna standing outside the plane with several other men.

Associates of Comancheros boss Tarek Zahed (centre), include Salim Ascha (second from left), pose outside a private jet. Picture: Supplied

They attended the 2022 Australian Open Men’s Final together, where Mr Aschna was snapped smiling as umpires told Zahed was told to quickly find a seat.

Zahed reportedly attended a kickboxing event promoted by Mr Aschna.

He moved to Melbourne in January last year amid brewing tensions between the Comancheros’ Melbourne and Sydney chapters.

It is understood several students at the gym are closely associated with Mr Zahed.

At least 11 other properties have been targeted by arsonists across Melbourne, including Elite Motors Garage in Oakleigh, whose directors are believed to be members at the gym and are also closely associated with Mr Aschna.

Mourners, including Salim Aschna, at the funeral of Omar Zahed who was killed at a shooting in Auburn.

Mr Aschna was sitting near Tarek Zahed at the Australian Open Men's Final last year. Picture: Supplied

Mr Aschna can be seen in a series of promotional videos for the garage, which sustained about $1m in damage when it was torched on June 26.

It can be revealed that several other properties hit during the attacks are residential homes belonging to families with young children.

Several young children and their mother have been unable to return to their Hawksbury Green home in Caroline Springs following the third attack on the house.

Its exterior has been charred black by the blaze with several of its upstairs windows smashed.

Children are believed to reside in a sprawling Greenvale home belonging to Sonsa Market director Ali Gunes, where a car was firebombed on June 25.

Police now say the attack on Fighters Xpress in July is linked to at least 11 other fire bombings across Melbourne. Picture: David Crosling

The home, which sits on a large block and boasts a tennis court, no longer shows signs of fire damage following the alleged arson.

Neighbours say it was sheer luck that none of the young children or their families were home at the time of the attacks.

It is understood a family of Afghani descent reside at a Fraser Rise property attacked by arsonists on June 27.

The home’s garage has since been boarded up and its front door burnt to a crisp by what neighbours described as a “molotov cocktail” type of explosive that attackers launched at the single-storey home in the early hours of the morning.

Several children and their mother are unable to return to their Hawkesbury Green home in Caroline Springs after a fire

This Fraser Rise home targeted in a firebomb attack this month

Hawkesbury Green, Caroline Springs, was also targeted

Detective Inspector Chris Murray from Victoria Police’s Arson and Explosives Squad said

investigators were “extremely concerned” about possible future attacks and the impact of ongoing tensions between organised crime groups on innocent people.

“It’s certainly concerning to us when you look at the number of arson attacks and the potential for them to escalate into further violence,” he said.

“We are doing everything we can to bring this offending to an end,” he said.

He said police were still probing the likelihood that the fire at Fighters Xpress was linked to 11 other arsons and were still determining how all the incidents were linked to organised crime.

“This series is complex and the motivations for all the fires and the parties involved are in many ways still being determined.

“We can assure those involved we will be relentless in our efforts to bring this unnecessary violence to a stop.”