Sam ‘The Punisher’ Abdulrahim targeted again — two weeks after surviving failed hit
Underworld figure Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim is pushing on with upcoming plans after gunmen opened fire on his Thomastown home for the second time in a fortnight.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Underworld figure and boxer Sam Abdulrahim is pushing on with plans for a title fight in Asia next month.
The Thomastown home of Abdulrahim - who is currently overseas - was blasted with gunfire on Saturday morning in yet another terrifying attack by his foes.
Shooters opened fire on the unoccupied Larch St home, 16 days after an ambush by a hit team trying to kill Abdulrahim unfolded at the front of the property.
The Herald Sun understands he has shifted out of the house since the March 23 attempted hit.
Abdulrahim, who fights under the nickname “The Punisher”, will contest the WBC Australian cruiserweight championship in Thailand this month.
He will come up against Narong Phumrakson in the June 27 bout.
Assailants fired shots into Abdulrahim’s empty Thomastown home in the early hours of Saturday morning.
It comes after a botched hit on the prominent boxer and crime figure on May 24, when he dodged 17 bullets outside the property on May 24.
The gunmen in that attack — who lured Abdulrahim out of his home by torching his parents’ cars in Brunswick — remain on the run.
Saturday’s attempted ambush comes amid a string of incidents believed to be linked to Victoria’s raging tobacco wars.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said nobody was inside the Thomastown property at the time of the Saturday morning attack.
“Police are investigating after shots were fired into a premises in Thomastown on Saturday,” she said.
“It is understood the incident occurred on Larch Street about 1.50am.
“Police are working to establish the exact circumstances of the incident and investigations are ongoing.”
There was yet another attempt on Abdulrahim’s life in 2022, when he was shot eight times while attending his cousin’s funeral.
That ambush left him in hospital
Organised crime police have repeatedly warned the boxer that he has a target on his back.
Despite these warnings and repeated attempts on his life, Abdulrahim has not sought to withdraw from the illicit tobacco sector, the Herald Sun has been told.
Some of the biggest members of Melbourne’s organised crime scene have come under attack with Mohammed “Afghan Ali” Keshtiar, Gavin Preston, and Robert Issa being murdered in the past 12 months.
The Herald Sun revealed last month that the Punisher had become aligned with Sydney-based gang Brothers for Life, which has been linked to multiple shootings in Sydney.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
Final moments of slain teen captured on CCTV, police allege
The final moments of Isla Bell’s life were captured on CCTV through the window of her accused killer’s apartment before her body was put in a fridge, police allege.
Four charged after major police sting nets huge cash, meth haul
Four men have been charged after police made a string of arrests among an alleged organised crime syndicate accused of importing liquid methamphetamine to prepare it for sale.