Police have revealed two suspects in an alleged ‘gangland vendetta’ murder of a man – but one is dead and the other is already in prison.
Hamad Assaad was shot 22 timesin Sydney’s south-west in October last year.
Two gunmen allegedly ambushed him on his driveway, at Georges Hall, as the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad conducted surveillance on his house.
Osama Hawat is accused of spying on Assaad in the days leading up to his death. He was charged with murder and participating in a criminal group and was denied bail in the NSW Supreme Court on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old was seen with Barakat and Ahmad the day after Assaad’s shooting.
Documents tendered to court by police, relied on in order to link Hawat to his alleged involvement in the murder, identified underworld figures Kemel Barakat and Ahmad Ahmad as suspects in the murder, theDaily Telegraph reported.
Barakat was shot dead in his home in May while Ahmad was arrested in connection to an international drug syndicate.
Hamad Assaad was allegedly shot 22 times in Sydney ‘s south-west in October last year
Underworld figures Kemel Barakat (left) and Ahmad Ahmad (right) are suspects in the murder
Osama Hawat is accused of spying on Assaad in the days leading up to his death. He was charged with murder and participate in a criminal group
Assaad’s execution-style murder on October 25 was over in 10 seconds. Two gunmen allegedly told a young boy standing in the doorway of the home to go away before unleashing.
Detectives outside his Sturt Avenue house tried in vain to save Assaad, who died at the scene.
Justice Stephen Campbell told the court it was an unusual feature of the case that neither Barakat or Ahmad were charged over the murder. To date no charges have been laid against Ahmad in respect of the killing.
‘One of them is dead and the other is in custody awaiting trial on other serious offences,’ he said.
Assaad’s execution-style murder on October 25 was over in 10 seconds. Two gunmen allegedly told a young boy standing in the doorway of the home to go away before unleashing
Wally Ahmad (pictured) was also a suspect in the case. He was gunned down outside a cafe in Sydney’s west last year. Assaad was a key suspect in the shooting
Wally Ahmad, the brother of Ahmad Ahmad, was also a suspect in the case. He was gunned down outside a cafe in Sydney’s west last year. Assaad was a key suspect in that shooting.
The court heard that intercepted phone calls between Hawat and his wife recorded Hawat making ‘partial or implicit’ admissions of involvement.
Police allege his wife dropped his mobile phone in the toilet when they raided his house. However, she claims this was because of private images.
Hawat’s barrister told the court the case against his client was ‘extraordinarily weak’.
‘There is no evidence that we are aware of any of this or that we are involved in any meaningful way with any Middle Eastern organised crime group,’ he said.
His bail was refused on grounds that if he were released people may attempt to take justice into their own hands.
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.