Posted on 12/08/2003 11:36:08 AM PST by dead
Until Sunday, police were convinced they were gaining the upper hand in ending a series of bloody shootings in Sydney's south-west.
"I would have said that was the case until yesterday [Sunday]," said Bob Inkster, head of Task Force Gain, which is investigating nine murders, a disappearance and a string of home attacks.
But that all changed at about 3.15pm, when 50 shots were fired in the car park of the Kings Head Tavern at Hurstville, narrowly missing bystanders. Five hours later, a man was shot dead in Merrylands.
Police said an 11-year-old girl sitting in a car with her mother near the tavern was almost hit by a bullet that smashed through the vehicle's window.
A feud between two factions in the Bankstown area had seen four deaths since September, Commander Inkster said. Two other rival groups had been identified in an unrelated shooting dispute in the Fairfield, a dispute that also stemmed from a murder.
Commander Inkster said he was amazed that despite recent raids, these groups were still prepared to fight.
He said the Hurstville shooting, in which two unidentified gunmen fired on three men leaving the tavern, was linked to the murders in Bankstown of Ali Abdulrazak, 34, his nephew Ziad Razzak, 24, and friends Melissa Nemra, 22, and Ahmed Fahda, 25. All were killed since September 29.
Commander Inkster said a nine millimetre gun found in a skip near the tavern was one of 31 Glock pistols stolen on August 31 from a private security firm, Obliging Security, at Chester Hill.
Two men were arrested in the tavern car park. Naseam El Zeyat, 23, of Belmore, and Ramzi Aoud, 22, of Hinchinbrook, were refused bail when they faced Sutherland Local Court yesterday charged with discharging loaded arms in company, and with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm to persons. They will appear in Central Local Court on February 10.
Commander Inkster said the car park incident was not related to Sunday night's murder of Sayed Frangeih, 59, who was shot at 8pm on his verandah at Bristol Street, Merrylands.
It was, however, connected to an attack on the same home on September 25, in which 50 bullets were fired.
"Police have doubts the victim was the intended target," he said, adding that Mr Frangeih appeared to have heard gunshots and his daughter screaming outside, and was killed when he went to investigate.
The young woman, who escaped being hit, was shot at by one of two men in a black Nissan Skyline that was later found on fire at Smithfield. Commander Inkster said he believed another man was the target.
Ali Abdulrazak, Ziad Razzak, Melissa Nemra, Ahmed Fahda, Naseam El Zeyat, Ramzi Aoud…
Hmmmm… do I detect a pattern?
Oh, and check out the author’s name! I wish.
Australia, you are about to have a very large problem.
As a precaution, they took the liberty of removing firearms from the average citizens. That way, only the highly competent government and the bad guys will be armed. Boy, sounds like a winner to me.
You and me too. I guess we need to present ourselves for re-education, huh?
ABOUT to have?? Wrong tense here, my friend LOL
Stone the crows mite, reads like the extras list from 'Lawrence of Arabia.' Tike it easy with them Middle East visas, mite. Sounds as if you'd be better off with a few of our illegal Mexicans.
Sendin'em rite over, mite.
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