Western Sydney gangland shooting prompts police crackdown
A police blitz has flung 24 people behind bars after a public shooting in Auburn linked to organised crime left three in hospital and an innocent woman comatose.
NSW Police have revealed the survivor of a Western Sydney shooting where an innocent woman was caught in the crossfire had been the target of a previously unknown assassination attempt last Friday.
The revelation means Samimjan Azari – an associate of the Alameddine organised crime network – has been the target of four known attempts on his life. The state’s dedicated violent organised crime contingent Taskforce Falcon has been investigating the Auburn shooting since it was first alerted on Monday afternoon and has made 24 arrests in as many hours.
Police blocked off a crime scene on Monday just after 1.15pm (AEST) at South Parade in Auburn and its surrounds, enclosing the M Brothers cafe, a kebab store near Auburn train station, where Mr Azari, 26, a 47-year-old woman working at the restaurant and a 25-year-old man associated with Mr Azari were shot.
Two masked gunmen burst into the Turkish restaurant, firing eight shots and hitting Mr Azari in the arm and shoulder, the woman twice in the chest, and the younger man in the face. Mr Azari and the woman are in stable condition, while the younger man is critical but stable.
Newly released footage shows the two shooters storming the restaurant, running past their victims to a backdoor, then circling around to flee the way they came.
Mr Azari had reported to Auburn police station an hour before the attack as part of his bail conditions.
Taskforce Falcon commander Jason Box suggested the attack could be linked to “internal conflict” within the Alameddines, with investigators querying whether accomplices were being hired over the internet.
“Of the offenders that we’ve arrested recently, some have no connection to organised crime networks until such time as they commit these offences,” the detective superintendent said.
“There’s been a lot of juveniles that have been committing offences that obviously have no connection to this high-level crime. We believe people are being recruited via encrypted devices, social media and word of mouth to commit these offences.”
He said Taskforce Falcon’s 150 officers – and a specialised subgroup dedicated to the Auburn shooting dubbed Strike Force Caljie – had found three burnt-out cars scattered across Sydney since the shooting.
The black Audi used in the attack was found on Wigram Street in Harris Park, a white ute used in the assassination attempt last Friday was found at Gerald Street in Greystanes, and a Red Commodore was found at Hilltop Road in Merryland. Police are unsure if the Commodore has any connection to its investigation.
Mr Box said his officers had made 24 arrests and laid 54 charges since Monday, including arrests for attempted shootings. Eight guns, numerous weapons and ammunition had been seized, along with 21 cars implicated in criminal proceedings. A total of 533 specific assignments had been carried out in the period.
“We’ve warned people about their safety, we’ve made numerous arrests, we’ve recovered firearms and vehicles off the streets, and we’re doing absolutely everything we can to ensure that (this) does not happen again,” Mr Box said.
Mr Azari was placed on bail after he was targeted in a drive-by shooting on May 26 in Granville. One man died in the attack and another was shot, with Mr Azari taken into custody after a pistol was allegedly found in the car he was riding in.
Police have alleged in court that Mr Azari is a senior Alameddine associate and was targeted in another daytime shooting at Brighton-Le-Sands in February, in which no one was injured.
Mr Box revealed on Tuesday that a fourth attempt on Mr Azari went unreported on Friday.
Mr Box said a white ute – matching the one found burnt out in Greystanes on Tuesday morning – was spotted in Roseville on Friday carrying a group of masked men, one of whom was potentially armed.
“The 26-year-old male and his associates fled the scene. Police were informed, arrived a short time later and spoke to the 26-year-old male and his associates, who provided limited information to police,” Mr Box said. “The white ute was not located.”
The 25-year-old left critical but stable on Monday was also said to have been at the scene of the Roseville ambush.
Mr Box addressed concerns that, given the numerous attempts on Mr Azari’s life, him being granted bail and regularly appearing in public has placed his life at risk and gambled with the safety of passers-by.
“He was made aware of threats against his life. He acknowledged those threats against his life to an extent. He was reasonably dismissive of what we had to say, and he’s obviously continued his movements in the public area with not a great deal of concern by the look of it,” Mr Box said.
“We’ve given him all the information that we can … to assist him in protecting himself. What he chooses to do with that information is a matter for him.
“I’m hoping that this individual reassesses his movements. I’m hoping that he’s not accessible. I’m hoping that he does take on board the advice that we’ve given and that he does not present an opportunity like we’ve seen yesterday.”
Police argued after the May 26 attack that Mr Azari should not be granted bail for the safety of the community, when police prosecutor Kai Jiang told the Parramatta Local Court “the streets will not be safe” if Mr Azari was allowed to walk free.
“There will be further bloodshed on the streets,” Mr Jiang said. “And it’s because of Mr Azari’s standing and holding in the organised crime network.”
Mr Box on Tuesday was guarded when asked if he was disappointed in the court’s prior decision.
“You can see from the prosecutor’s comments that he was very descriptive in terms of our concerns and what could potentially happen,” he said. “That’s a matter for the magistrate to assess and weigh that up and make the decision that he did. We expressed our concerns, and what we asked for was that he be ‘bail refused’.
“This conflict and this violence is something that we’re trying to suppress. And every time there is an incident and we arrest someone, we’ll be putting forward our concerns for these people not to be on the streets.”
State Police Minister Yasmin Catley on Tuesday said it was “abhorrent” that civilians were being caught in the crossfire of apparent underworld violence.
“A woman has been caught up in this event, an innocent victim doing her job. All she did is go to work and she has been caught up in this shocking event,” she said.
“It’s one thing for criminals to be shooting each other, but when innocent people get caught up in this, it is absolutely abhorrent and we will not tolerate it.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said it was “shockingly brazen”.
“People committing this kind of violence can expect to be arrested, charged, and to spend years inside small jail cells,” he said.
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