A photo of slain gangster Mahmoud ‘Brownie’ Ahmad, 39, and his murdered nephew, Rami Iskander has emerged, showing the two men out at dinner in the months before they would both be killed.
The photo was shared by the social media account SCN WorldStar on the day of Iskander’s death, with the Daily Mail reporting it was taken earlier this year at an Asian restaurant in Sydney. The two men appeared relaxed and grinning, with their elbows touching. Iskander, sitting on the left, is smiling into the camera, with his uncle’s gaze tilting to the right.
Ahmad would die in a hail of bullets outside a Greenacre home in Sydney’s southwest on April 4, with nephew Iskander meeting a similar fate just 41 days later.
The 23-year-old was shot multiple times outside his Belmore home just metres from his pregnant wife and two-year-old son on Sunday.
His wife, a trained nurse, attempted CPR but he bled out on the driveway and died at the scene, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Speaking to media, Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett said the murders followed the “tit for tat” deaths that had escalated into a “war of sorts … around drug supply and organised crime”.
“That crosses over with inter-family relationships and the like and we are dealing with it as best we can. And we know how violent these people are,” he said.
State Crime Commander Mick Fitzgerald said there was one tying the latest shootings together: “in its nutshell, drugs are the common denominator”.
“There’s people owed money, so there are conflicts … people are threatening people within that criminal milieu on a daily basis,” Fitzgerald said.
“We are constantly telling people that they continue to live in this world of organised crime, where they’re dealing with prohibited drugs, making large amounts of money, they will be subject to threats from other people who wish to take their territory and property.
“That is common sense.”
A string of deaths
In recent weeks, multiple members of Sydney’s underworld have been executed in well-planned, intricate shootings.
In the past 18 months, 13 shootings have been linked to the infamous crime war between the feuding Hamzy and Alameddine families. The latter family is believed to have recently forged a connection with the Comanchero bikie club.
Iskander’s death comes less than a week after the bloody shooting of brothers, Omar and Tarek.
The pair were set upon by multiple gunmen after completing a workout at the Bodyfit gym in Auburn, in Sydney’s west.
While Omar died at the scene after going into cardiac arrest, Tarek was taken to Westmead Hospital where he was placed in an induced coma.
Despite suffering up to 10 gunshot wounds to his body, including his head, the Comanchero kingpin was taken off life support and is said to be in a stable condition after surgery.
Tarek is a senior figure in the notorious Comanchero bikie gang, and had been tipped to take over Mick Murray as the club’s President.
“The two brothers involved in this incident we warned, as of last Thursday, that their lives were at risk and had been at risk for some time,” said Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald in the day after Omar’s death.
“One is a senior Comanchero, which is Australia’s largest criminal organisation. They were warned on countless other occasions … and decided not to avail themselves of the resources and suggestions and recommendations of NSW Police to leave our state.”
In the weeks dating back to April 27, crime boss Mahmoud ‘Brownie’ Ahmad, Iskander’s uncle, was also killed in a hail of bullets.
Known as the “Mr Big” of the city’s crime world, he was found dying outside a home in Greenacre, with police calling his murder a “meticulous assassination”.
Like Tarek, police had also warned him of a $1 million bounty placed on his life.
“He did not want to hide and wanted to carry on his normal criminal activities to deal with the same associates and he has borne the consequences of that,” said Homicide Squad Commander Danny Doherty.
Task force Erebus: NSW and Federal Police team up
In the light of the most recent shooting, NSW Police have joined forces with several state and federal police groups under Task force Erebus.
Tasked with investigating the recent fatal shootings between organised criminal networks, the task force will also look into additional acts of violence and supply chain of prohibited drugs, illicit firearm supply, co-ordinated theft of vehicles and other criminal activity.
“Task force Erebus builds on the information and leads already gathered by investigators and ensures they have the resources to keep targeting and putting pressure on these criminal groups on all fronts,” said State Crime Commander, Assistant Commissioner Mick Fitzgerald.
“It will involve co-ordinating the inquiries of detectives and intelligence analysts with expertise across various disciplines including homicide, organised crime, financial and cybercrimes, and criminal groups, networks and their associates.”
SCC Director of Crime Operations, Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett said the task force would focus on the linked between the groups and their associates.
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“We know the victims in these crimes associated in similar circles and this task force allows for centralised examination of how those connections relate to the shootings, and possible motivations,” he said.
“When it comes to organised crime, investigators are up against a wall of silence – those connected to the victims, whether by blood, marriage or as an associate – are often unwilling to assist police, due to either misguided loyalties or fear of retribution.
“In order to bring these criminals to justice, we need evidence to put them before the court, and that’s where the community can help.”
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