Bikie boss Tarek Zahed fighting for life, brother killed in Sydney gym shooting

Despite warnings of a bounty on his head, Omar Zahed posted a string of brazen TikTok videos in the days before he was gunned down in a Sydney gym.

Comanchero bikie Tarek Zahed is fighting for life and his brother Omar is dead after underworld hitmen opened fire in a gym in Sydney’s west overnight.

Younger brother Omar posted a brazen TikTok last week, featuring a montage of photos with himself and Tarek posing in front of private jets and surrounded by Comanchero bikies.

One still from a TikTok shared just two days ago showed the pair flexing in front of huge mirrors of a Bodyfit gym - believed to be the same Auburn venue where he was shot dead.

The shooting came a week after The Daily Telegraph reported that a bounty had been placed on Tarek’s head.

A bikie source told the newspaper Tarek had been warned by those close to him to play it safe.

“They warned him the other week, ‘Stop going to the gym, change your routine’, but he didn’t listen. They are fuming,” they said.

The brothers hit the gym together for the last time on Tuesday night.

Speaking on Wednesday, NSW Police Minister Paul Toole vowed to “hunt down” the perpetrators.

The two men were shot while standing in the foyer of Auburn’s Bodyfit Fitness Centre on the busy Parramatta Road around 8pm on Tuesday.

Omar, 39, went into cardiac arrest after being hit in the arms, stomach and legs and died at the scene.

Tarek, 42, suffered 10 gunshot wounds to his body, including his head, and was rushed to Westmead Hospital in critical condition.

He was in a serious but stable condition as of Wednesday afternoon, police said.

Footage from the scene showed the two men laying on the floor covered in blood surrounded by police and paramedics.

‘Horrific and confronting scene’

“On our arrival we found two male patients … with multiple gunshot wounds to multiple regions of their bodies,” NSW Ambulance inspector Kevin McSweeney said.

“They were both found to be in extremely critical condition. At the scene we stabilised the patients as best we could.

“When we arrived on scene both patients had suffered significant blood loss and one of them had gone into traumatic cardiac arrest.

“Paramedics did everything they could but despite best efforts, he died at the scene.

“The second patient had been hit with up to 10 bullets and incredibly, was still conscious and breathing when we transported him to hospital.

“This was an horrific and confronting scene that unfolded in front of several witnesses, it is very fortunate no other members of the public were injured.”

Comanchero bikie Tarek Zahed and brother Omar have been shot at Bodyfit gym in Auburn.

Omar died at the scene and Tarek was rushed to hospital after being hit with up to 10 bullets.

Paramedics working to stabilise the brothers in the foyer at Bodyfit Auburn.

Two burnt out Audi Q7 cars, believed to be linked to the shooting, were found in Berala and Greenacre not long after.

Cops warned brothers last week

Police told reporters on Wednesday they had warned the brothers their lives were threatened as recently as last Thursday and encouraged them to leave the state, but would not go into details about the specifics of the intelligence, including who was making the threats.

“If we had the evidence [to charge someone with conspiracy to murder] they’d be locked up, but our job is to prevent crime,” Police Commissioner Karen Webb said.

“I can’t help people that can’t help themselves.”

Homicide Squad Commander Danny Doherty said police had a “duty of care to tell the intended target there’s been threats against them”.

He said the reaction from the brothers “is as we’ve already seen, oh well, you know, I’m going to move back interstate, go overseas or whatever, but they go about their normal activity, and unfortunately by going about their normal activity they’ve ended up dead”.

Tarek, the sergeant-at-arms of the Comanchero in Australia, had reportedly been tipped to become the next national president.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the decision by the bikie gang to team up with the Alameddine clan to dominate Sydney’s drug market earned them many new enemies.

The Almeddine clan has been involved in a brutal war with the Hamzy organised crime network that has resulted in 11 suspected killings, police believe.

‘We will hunt you down’

NSW Police has established Strike Force Leary to investigate the shooting, with the Homicide Squad to be assisted by officers from the Criminal Groups and Raptor Squads, as well as Auburn Police Area Command and South West Metropolitan Region.

“The simple message is, if you are part of Sydney’s underworld, we are going to hunt you down and stamp out this kind of activity,” Mr Toole said at a press conference in Parramatta on Wednesday afternoon.

“We will kick down doors, raid homes, raid businesses, we will harass you, disrupt your everyday life to stamp this activity out.”

Commissioner Webb said it would be an “intelligence-led operation” targeting known criminals, and would include door-knocks to ensure they were complying with firearms prevention orders and bail requirements.

“We are talking about a small number of people who are causing fear in our community,” she said.

Detective Superintendent Doherty said police were not ruling out an internal power struggle within the bikie gang.

“We can’t discount an internal conflict, there’s real power struggle within different criminal networks,” he said.

He said a large explosion had been reported at the scene of the Greenacre car fire, and there was a “reasonable theory” that the person may have been injured and suffered burns.

“At least” two people got out of the Audi Q7 at the scene of the shooting and “fired multiple shots”, but he couldn’t specify how many.

“Multiple is a large number,” he said.

“Police really have three crime scenes, a large area to cover to track the movements in and out.”

Police are appealing for anyone who might have dashcam, CCTV or mobile phone footage to come foward.

Comanchero bikie Tarek Zahed reportedly had a bounty on his head.

Bullet holes can be seen in the glass doors.

Commissioner Webb told 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Wednesday morning an additional 30 officers would be added to Strike Force Raptor in the wake of the shooting.

“Enough is enough,” she said.

“The community in southwest Sydney, western Sydney and Sydney in general have had enough. We’re just going to keep tackling this.”

Commissioner Webb confirmed police had attempted to warn Tarek.

“In this organised crime world, information does come to police and we try and pass it on and let people know,” she said.

“I understand Tarek had been overseas and he’d come back and was living in Victoria. He’d come back to Sydney. Some of these people think they’re invincible, I think, larger than life. What else can you do when you try and warn them but they just live their lives like they’re larger than life. But life of crime’s not worth it, Ben.”

Possible revenge killing

Commissioner Webb said it was too early to say whether Tarek’s shooting was revenge for underworld figure Mahmoud ‘Brownie’ Ahmad, who was gunned down in Greenacre less than a fortnight ago after also being warned of a multimillion-dollar bounty on his head.

“Well we can’t rule it out, but some of these people are in conflict with a number of other groups so it’s hard to pinpoint whether it’s actual direct retaliation or not, but certainly a line of inquiry for us,” she said.

NSW Labor police spokesman Walt Secord said he was worried about a member of the public being hurt in gangland shootings.

“Crime gangs are carrying out attacks with impunity and with no regard for the safety of others,” he said in a statement.

“Frankly, I’m less concerned about feuding gangsters killing each other and far more concerned about innocent bystanders getting killed in the crossfire.

“The community has been patient. The wave of shootings has gone on too long. This is about community safety.”

Late last month, Tarek was charged with allegedly contravening a serious crime prevention order, after failing to notify police that he was moving residence while visiting NSW.

He was one of two senior bikies set to face court after police launched a crackdown on organised criminal networks following Ahmad’s shooting in Greenacre.

Tarek was due to appear at the Downing Centre Local Court on June 22.

Mr Toole said after the raids that Ahmad’s death strengthened authorities’ resolve to arrest and charge people.

“The message is simple — if you’re even remotely associated with organised crime, police are watching, they have leads, and they will act,” Mr Toole said.