The execution death of Bilal Hamze has sparked fears of a gangland war in Sydney's western suburbs, where Middle Eastern crime gangs have long run rampant.
Hamze, 34, was gunned down in the CBD on Thursday night after dining at ritzy sushi restaurant Kid Kyoto.
He was shot in the stomach and shoulder by an unknown person who police say was lying in wait for Hamze.
Hamze is the cousin of Bassam Hamzy, 41, who is serving more than 40 years for a spree of killings and gang-related crimes, and Mejid Hamzy who was shot dead in his Condell Park driveway in October 2020.
THE HAMZYS
Khaled and Lola Hamzy moved their family to Australia in the 1970s as civil war erupted in Lebanon.
The family name first came onto the radar of police in the mid-1990s, when Khaled was jailed for his role in a drug ring.
In 1999, his son Bassam shot dead a teenager during a night out in Sydney and was himself jailed for 21 years.
But while life behind bars is intended to be a deterrent for reoffending, it was where Hamzy thrived.
He set up the gang Brothers 4 Life, and with a bevvy of mobile phones hidden in his cell, ran a sophisticated drug and crime ring.
THE ALAMEDDINES
Talal Alameddine is the most infamous in his family, despite having numerous criminals among his relatives +18
Talal Alameddine is the most infamous in his family, despite having numerous criminals among his relatives
As part of their hunt for Mejid's killer, NSW Police are also investigating a brawl between members of the Hamzy crew and associates of another major group, the Alammedines, in the days before he died.
The street side brawl came a day before a series of shootings at homes linked to both a Hamzy and Alameddine relative.
At 2am that Saturday, the home of Maha Hamze was shot at in a drive-by attack.
The very next day, bullets were fired into the home of another Alameddine.
That family member has since been revealed to be Rafat Alameddine.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that Rafat Alameddine was responsible for, or in any way involved, in the shooting.
NSW Police assistant commissioner Peter Thurtell claimed the ongoing gang wars on the streets of western Sydney are drug related.
'They are organised criminal groups targeting each other,' Asst Comm Thurtell said.
'The rationale behind targeting each other is obviously drug related.
'We will be targeting associates and known offenders. They can expect us to be in their face. They know we will come knocking on their door.'
The recent brawl followed a similar fight last year behind bars between the two most infamous people with Hamzy and Alameddine as a surname.
Talal Alameddine, who delivered the gun used to kill NSW Police accountant Curtis Cheng in 2015, took on Bassam Hamzy in an exercise yard at Goulburn's Supermax Prison.
CCTV footage of the brutal showed the two going head-to-head before Alameddine got the upper hand, leaving Hamzy battered and bruised.
While Talal's involvement in the murder of Mr Cheng has seen him become the most infamous member of the clan, he is not the only one to have landed himself in strife.
In recent years 26-year-old Talal's brother Rafat, 28, and cousins Bilal, 21, Jihad, 31, Rachad (sometimes 'Richad'), 28, and Hamdi Alameddine 27, have all faced serious criminal matters in court.
While Talal will be off the streets for at least the next decade, his five relatives have continued to develop into a prominent crime entourage in western Sydney.
Six male members of the Alameddine crew are already in jail or before the courts, facing charges related to guns, drugs, violence and organised crime.
They and their crew have established a stronghold around Merrylands - an area criminals have fought for control for years.
A source close to the Alameddines said: 'For years there were multiple families in that area, but most of the other ones were too focused on each other in the end.'
Another source described the current situation in Sydney as being 'on a knife's edge'.
