Funeral for slain Melbourne gangland figure Suleiman “Sam” Abdulrahim
The body of gunned-down Melbourne gangland figure Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim has been carried in a golden coffin at his funeral service.
The body of slain gangland figure Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim has been carried in a gold coffin at his funeral service in Melbourne.
About 200 mourners gathered at the Alawi Islamic Association of Victoria in the northern suburb of Epping on Thursday morning.
Abdulrahim – known as The Punisher – was shot dead by gunmen in front of his girlfriend outside a hotel in Melbourne on Tuesday morning.
Attendees with possible gang affiliations were seen among the mourners gathering for the funeral, including people with “1%” tattoos.
Three men arrived riding high-powered motorbikes, one of which was brandished with a decal reading “The Punisher” - an ode to Abdulrahim’s boxing moniker.
The female attendees wore the white mourning scarfs of the Alawi Islamic sect - called
After the ceremony, Abdulrahim’s gold coffin was draped in green sheet and carried to the hurst.
Abdulrahim’s father, Farouk Abdulrahim, was comforted by several other men as he broke down outside the community centre before the coffin was carried out.
Four men carried flower wreaths spelling “Suna” - Abdulrahim’s nickname - behind motorcycles which led the hurst toward the cemetery.
There was only a light police presence in the surrounding streets, with three marked cars parked several hundred metres from the funeral.
Police cars were parked in the cul-de-sac outside the Islamic centre, but were moved to the next block as mourners began filling the car park.
As Abdulrahim’s body was drived away, police blocked oncoming traffic on High Street in Epping, as the racauios motorcycles slowly led the hurst. People in the nearby cafes and stores watched from the sidewalk.
A funeral notice described Abdulrahim as a man “full of life” who was “taken too soon”.
“He was loved by all and his smile would always light up the room,” it read.
“He will be dearly missed but never forgotten.
“A loving father, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, partner, and friend.”
Underworld conflicts made Abdulrahim a marked man, and police had been aware of multiple threats to his life in recent years. Abdulrahim apparently returned to Australia the day before he was killed.
Abdulrahim was killed after multiple attempts on his life, including reportedly three murder contracts, a serious beating in prison, a dozen firebombings connected to his businesses including the illicit tobacco trade, and at least seven shootings.
The father, professional fighter and former bikie had gone underground to escape a reported $1m contract on his life.
Video obtained by the Herald Sun after Abdulrahim’s death shows the fighter in a heated conversation, allegedly with a gangland rival, prior to the shooting.
Abdulrahim can be heard in the undated video joking with his rival over the failed attempts on Abdulrahim’s life.
“Hey, I’m still alive brother. Eight shots later and I’m still alive,” Abdulrahim tells the man.
The man replies: “You’re lucky. Luck, luck, luck.”
In 2022, Abdulrahim was shot five times in the chest and stomach at a Melbourne cemetery.
Abdulrahim’s parents’ house was sprayed with 17 bullets in May, 2024. The former Mongol bikie used the nickname “the Punisher” in the boxing ring.
Speaking from the scene in the suburb of Preston, just hours after the killing, Detective Inspector Dean Thomas was asked if it was “only a matter of time” given the threats made against Abdulrahim.
“I think common sense prevails,” Inspector Thomas said.
“Perhaps that is the case. But, at this stage we have nothing to suggest there was a live threat that was imminent.”
A burnt-out Porsche found near the scene immediately after the killing is being investigated as the getaway car.
Police have since found a Ford Ranger found near Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport - within about 90km of the attack - which was again torched.
Detectives are now investigating whether the vehicle - which had a distinctive sticker of bull horns on the rear window before being burnt - was used to transport a group from where the Porsche was located, as reported by The Herald Sun.
A mobile speed camera was reportedly parked about 300m from where the Ford was set alight, sparking theories its driver could have been snapped if caught speeding, according to the masthead.
More to come
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