Police warned Sam Abdulrahim his life was in danger before ambush

Ex-bikie Sam Abdulrahim had a list of enemies who wanted him gone and they turned a quiet suburb into a scene from The Godfather.

It’s like a scene out of a Godfather movie.

A funeral procession of mourners slowly leaves a cemetery in their cars.

The solemn moment is then shattered by the crack of gunfire and a brazen assassination attempt in broad daylight.

But this wasn’t Corleone, Sicily, it was Saturday in Fawkner, a quiet Melbourne suburb 12km from the CBD, in the growth belt filled with young families.

The failed hit has burst open the dark underbelly of Melbourne’s simmering bikie gang rivalries.

This wasn’t to send a message, this was a cold-blooded execution attempt that police now fear will set off a series of equally merciless reprisals.

Even though Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim had been the target of multiple shooting attempts since his release from prison in 2017, he may have figured he was safe while driving in a funeral procession. His family was in mourning. Abdulrahim had just paid respects to his cousin, Naz, who died in sad circumstances.

Sam Abdulramin was the target of a cold-blooded execution attempt.

As he left in his $300,000 Mercedes Benz 4WD G-Wagon – popular with Hollywood celebs and now the latest choice of discerning gangsters – he was a sitting duck.

In a Mazda SUV a few cars behind, balaclava-clad men pulled out of the line of cars and drove alongside Abdulrahim and his passengers. A gun was pointed at the trapped Abdulrahim and at least four shots blasted at him.

The two gunmen fled, only to crash into a fire hydrant and commit a terrifying carjacking of a mother and her son at a nearby Ampol service station.

The underworld and the cops knew Abdulrahim had an “active contract” on his head, part and parcel of underworld reprisals playing out in Melbourne and Sydney. The Sydney gangland war has claimed 13 lives in 18 months.

Abdulrahim was warned by police but, as one well-placed source told the Herald Sun, “he didn’t care”.

On May 28 heavily armed police had swarmed a boxing event at the Timber Yard in Port Melbourne after hearing Abdulrahim would be shot. An observer said police set up a command centre and mounted police were present.

“There were more cops outside than there were fight fans,” a source said.

Dashcam footage shows the Mazda pulling up the Mercedes 4WD of Suleiman Abdulrahim before opening fire.

The police presence appears to have bought some time for Abdulrahim, who won his cruiserweight fight against Victor Organov.

In the weeks leading up to the fight night, Victoria Police had sent a letter warning venues, including Melbourne Pavillion in Kensington, that if they allowed Abdulrahim’s company, Punisher Promotions, to stage an event, their liquor licences were at risk.

The professional fighter, a former director of Punisher Promotions, which is run by his brother-in-law, was unhappy. But most complied Victoria Police’s direction. No venue wants trouble, let alone a boxer to be shot in the ring.

“They thought there would be an attempt on his life,” a source said.

“He had been warned several times by police that there is an active contract on your life.”

Another source familiar with rivalries in Melbourne’s north agreed it was only a matter of time before Abdulrahim was ambushed.

“There’s a war out there,” the source said.

“He’s big in the northern suburbs … he’s obviously got some enemies.”

The gunmen’s car then crashed into fire hydrant. Picture: David Crosling

The Herald Sun understands there are dozens of potential assassins from different groups police will canvass as being behind the Abdulrahim hit.

One group they will scrutinise is his old bikie gang Mongols MC. Tensions remain after a bitter fallout that ended with Abdulrahim and his great mates Toby Mitchell and Mark Balsillie being booted from the feared club earlier this year. There have also been confrontations with members of the Comanchero MC. Abdulrahim was recently assaulted by gang members at Docklands and again while out with his girlfriend at the movies.

Outside those top contenders are Middle Eastern organised crime figures who have scores to settle with the 32-year-old. Among those Abdulrahim has had significant conflict with in the past are now deceased MEOC criminal Nabil Maghnie and kickboxer Omar Bchinnati.

Violence erupted at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in 2015 requiring police to capsicum spray the pair and evacuate the third floor.

Abdulramin was warned there was an “active contract” on his life. Picture: Instagram

In January 2017, Abdulrahim was taken into custody after he was convicted of crashing his Ferrari 360 Spider into several cars in a suburban street in Reservoir, killing 88-year-old great-grandmother Muriel Hulett.

He showed no remorse.

But following his release in 2019, after serving a paltry two-year sentence, he had his parole revoked and was thrown back into prison.

It was not because he had done anything wrong since walking out of jail, but because there has been three attempts on his life as soon as he was back on the streets.

Police on Saturday had no leads about who the shooters could be and have appealed to the public for witnesses.

They are unaware if the parties are known to each other but said “significant resources” had been allocated to the investigation.

“(We have) no idea who they are,” Acting Superintendent Boris Buick said. “Police are looking for any witnesses … to come forward and speak to police.”

Superintendent Buick said police believed the shooters were two males wearing balaclavas.

The bullet-ridden car of Abdulrahim sits at Fawkner Police station. Picture: Brendan Beckett

He said the offenders fled the scene and travelled west after they carjacked a Ford Territory, which had been occupied by a woman and a child. “Obviously it was a terrifying experience … an incident like this is terrifying for the public and for the people involved,” he said.

Investigators will shake the tree. But sometimes they know who the culprits are and cannot lay charges due to the criminal code of silence.

The mafia call it omerta.

In 2011, then Bandido bikie Mitchell was shot seven times by two masked triggermen outside Doherty’s Gym in broad daylight. The audacious public assassination attempt remains unsolved. Abdulrahim is treating this attempt to kill him in the same way. He isn’t co-operating with police, though he has copped flak by underworld types on social media for driving to Fawkner police station for help after being wounded.

Abdulrahim is under guard at Royal Melbourne Hospital after multiple surgeries to remove bullets and repair his kidney, lungs and liver.

He’s in a serious but stable condition and shows no signs of backing down. From his hospital bed he sent a message to his assailants by flipping the bird.

The photo was captioned: “Allah is bigger than all these flops, they’ll get there (sic) day”. It’s a message to his enemies that he’ll soon return and wants revenge.