This article was originally published on January 27, 2025. It was republished after Sam Abdulrahim was shot dead in Melbourne on January 28, 2025.
When the tradie arrived at the callout address in Fawkner early on a Thursday morning in October, he was expecting a straightforward job fixing a fence.
Instead, he was targeted with gunfire as a masked man jumped out of a stolen car parked nearby, a bullet shattering his lower leg. By the time paramedics showed up, the footpath was soaked in blood.
The Melbourne underworld’s most hunted man – Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim.Credit: Instagram
But this wasn’t some random attack or attempted robbery.
The 48-year-old man was just one in a long line of targets to be on the receiving end of a firebomb, bullet or threat allegedly because of their association with the Melbourne underworld’s most hunted man – Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim.
Police and underworld sources suspect a series of seemingly random or unexplainable violent attacks in the past six months are linked to the enemies of Abdulrahim, who have been viciously targeting his family, friends and associates after the 32-year-old gangland figure-turned-boxer went “underground” to escape a $1 million murder contract on his head.
Abdulrahim, who has been living under death threats for years, went into hiding in May 2024 after only narrowly escaping an ambush outside his northern suburbs home, where gunmen shot at him 17 times.
Since then, Abdulrahim has been something of a ghost – bouncing between Melbourne, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand as he tries to stay one step ahead of his legion of enemies.
His Lalor home, shot up again in a drive-by and then later firebombed, has been left abandoned and unliveable.
Abdulrahim’s Instagram account has been littered with false trails about where he is and what he’s doing, including one posting a photo purportedly from Lebanon with the message: “Feels good to be in motherland” when he was actually seen partying in a bar in Melbourne.
In September, he appeared briefly to be working as a bodyguard for Russian mixed martial arts star Khabib Nurmagomedov at an event in Kuala Lumpur, according to a social media post about the MMA star.
With Suna — as he is known to his friends — in the wind, those with any kind of close connection to Abdulrahim have found themselves instead in the firing line.
Two beauty salons, a barbershop, a function centre and a boxing gym owned, operated or simply linked to Abdulrahim’s associates and family were torched between July and September.
Bullet casings on the ground outside Abdulrahim’s home after an attempt on his life last May.Credit: Justin McManus
In one case, one of the friends who helped Abdulrahim drive away from an ambush outside Fawkner cemetery in June 2022 after he was shot eight times has seen his family business burned for his trouble.
But as Abdulrahim’s enemies have become increasingly frustrated with the chase, the violence has dramatically escalated.
Late last year, the relative of a close associate of Abdulrahim was held at gunpoint in their home and released only in exchange for $150,000. The demand for money was punishment for the associate’s continued support of Abdulrahim. The kidnapping was never reported to police, underworld sources say.
Another associate of Abdulrahim, who has been regularly posting attacks on social media about the boxer’s enemies, also narrowly missed being injured or killed in October.
Underworld sources say two men wearing masks were lying in wait to ambush the associate outside his home in broad daylight when they realised they had been spotted in their car by a suspicious member of the public.
“They got spooked, got surprised – somebody saw them. They had to leave,” an underworld source said.
It remains unclear whether the ambush was supposed to involve a bashing, firebombing or shooting.
The men fled the scene before police arrived in response to a triple-zero call, dumping a Mercedes AMG to make their getaway.
“Detectives are investigating a report of a suspicious vehicle parked outside a residential premises. It’s believed the occupants of the vehicle were disturbed by a passerby and left the area. A vehicle fitting the same description was located later that day abandoned elsewhere,” a police spokesperson said.
The prime suspect for many, but not all of these attacks, is exiled gangland boss Kazem “Kaz” Hamad, who allegedly put a $1 million bounty on Abdulrahim’s head as a part of a feud going back nearly a decade.
Hamad blames Abdulrahim for his role in allegedly setting up Hamad’s best friend Kadir “KD” Ors to be killed by gangland figure George Marrogi in 2016, a claim that the Victorian Court of Appeal has deemed plausible.
Among the others with a grudge against the notorious underworld figure are his former bikie club – the Mongols – as well as high-ranking members of the Comancheros and a host of Middle Eastern organised crime figures.
Abdulrahim and his family and associates have been the target of at least 18 separate shootings, firebombings, assaults and other attacks since 2017.
Sources say Abdulrahim’s relatives and associates have become virtual social pariahs as a result of this latest wave of attacks over concerns that their proximity could put other people or their businesses at risk.
Abdulrahim could not be reached for a comment.
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