A famous driver has been shot dead in front of his young son outside a gym in an emotional funeral.
Mourners paid their respects to slain father Taha Sabbagh, 40, at a mass at Lakemba Mosque, southwest Sydney, at 1pm on Saturday.
Sabbagh was shot dead outside the Elite Force gym on Carlingford Street in Sefton at approximately 6.30am on Thursday.
Family and friends consoled each other as the coffin of the murdered father was carried down the stairs to the mosque two days later.
A famous driver was shot dead in front of his young son in an emotional funeral
Mourners paid their respects to slain father Taha Sabbagh, 40, at a mass at Lakemba Mosque, southwest Sydney, at 1pm on Saturday.
Family and friends consoled each other as the coffin of the murdered father was carried down the stairs to the mosque two days later.
Sabbagh was shot dead outside the Elite Force gym on Carlingford Street in Sefton at approximately 6.30am on Thursday.
“No one expected this,” said a preacher from inside the mosque.
The coffin was then carried down the front steps after Mass as mourners cheered around it.
The coffin was then loaded into the back of a milking parlor waiting in the street before it was taken to Rookwood Cemetery.
A number of mourners were seen wiping away tears and hugging each other.
A single police car was parked on the other side of the road while patrol cars swept up and down the road every few minutes.
The famous driver was drinking coffee while dropping off his 12-year-old son at the gym when two gunmen opened fire on a black Mercedes.
Al-Sabbagh wrapped his arms around his son, who was sitting next to him in the front passenger seat, to protect him from the bullets.
The boy then ran away from the scene to seek help from his father, who died at the scene of a gunshot wound.
Police said the shooting bore the hallmarks of “organised, targeted murder” and that while Sabbagh was not well known to police, he had mixed up in underworld circles.
They are still investigating whether the fatal shooting was related to dyer’s associations and have not ruled out that it may have been a mistaken identity.
The gym counts among its patrons members of the notorious Hushar and Mariam families, while ‘Bones’ gym co-owner Adam Omar, aka Boxa Yass, is an associate in the Comancheros bikie gang, 7News reports.
Mariam and Hochar are allied with the notorious Alamuddin crime network, which has been linked to drug syndicates across Sydney and bloody feuds against the rival Hamzi clan.
The coffin was then carried down the front steps after the service a short time later while the mourners joined in solemn singing.
A single police car was parked across the road while patrol cars swept up and down the road every few minutes (pictured, mourners outside the mosque)
A number of mourners were seen wiping away tears and hugging each other on Saturday
Forensic investigators set up a crime scene after Sifton was shot Thursday
According to 7News, gym co-owner and professional fighter Hani Sibat and his brother Omar drive similar cars to Sabbagh, and underworld sources believe they could have been the intended targets.
Al-Sabbagh’s friends are convinced he was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity.
NSW Superintendent of Police Detectives Danny Doherty said: “We believe that while (Al-Dabbagh) was relatively unknown to the police, he was associated with people who were well known to the police”.
We believe this is a targeted attack, it’s not random – execution style – it bears the hallmarks of an organized murder.
He was tough, rude, and (the shooter) had no respect for human life.
“The victim’s partners have connections to this gym as well, which is why the circumstances make them vulnerable to a targeted attack.”
The boy was not physically injured but was in severe shock.
“It’s horrific for a 12-year-old to watch his own father shot dead in this way,” said Det Supt-Doherty.
Investigators believe they are hunting two gunmen who used a Mazda 3 as a getaway car, before it was later found burnt out in the nearby suburb of Birrong.
Police spent most of Thursday at the crime scene and came to Sabbagh’s home later in the afternoon as part of their investigation.
The shooting ends the six-month ceasefire since the last gang killing when Lamita Fadlallah and Amna El Hazouri were killed in a drive-by shooting in Reefsby.
Elite Fight Force is owned by Adam Omar (left), aka Boxa Yass, and professional fighter Hani Sibat (right). Omar is said to be an associate of the Comancheros while Sibat owns a car that looks like Sabbagh’s black Mercedes.
The Hochar family members are the protégés of the Elite Fighting Force. Osman Hoshar (left) who lost his right eye while driving outside his family home in Maryland in 2008, is pictured with his cousin Mehmet Butch Hoshar (right)
Mary’s crime family members also train in the gym. In the photo, the brothers Mustafa Maryam (left) and Mahmoud Maryam (right).
Facebook Request Dua page – designed to request prayers from Sydney’s Islamic community He remembers Sabbagh as a “loving son, brother, father and husband”.
A post read: “With great sadness and shock, we announce the return of our beloved brother Taha Sabbagh to his creator.”
He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him. Please remember your beloved, family and loved ones in your prayers. We ask God to comfort his family, wife and children in this test.
Nasser al-Sabbagh, uncle of Mr. al-Sabbagh, told Daily Mail Australia that the driver of the luxury car wrapped his arms around his son to protect him while he was shot.
“Why do people kill other people?” Asked. He is a good man. A quiet man. No criminal record. He goes to work. He spends time with his children.
Another relative said he wanted Mr. al-Sabbagh to be remembered as “a father, a brother, an uncle, and a cousin.”
The proud dad’s latest social media post Wednesday night showed his 12-year-old son training in punching, blocking and dribbling with a coach.
A witness heard at least six gunshots and a car screeching. The Mazda 3 was later found burnt out at the nearby Birrong Train Station.
Paramedics tried desperately to revive Mr. Al-Sabbagh, who was a regular at the MMA gym.
Later in the afternoon, friends and family flocked to Mr. Al-Sabbagh’s home as they dealt with his death.
The small residential street was packed with cars as lovers arrived to pay their respects before consoling each other and leaving.
Two white marquees were erected on the driveway as men and women sat below them on several plastic chairs spread across the front yard.
The distraught loved ones hugged and hugged each other as they huddled in separate groups, strutting down the street.
A man touched his face with a tissue, while a woman wrapped her arm around another woman’s shoulder as they walked home.
Police are investigating a link between the shooting and a burnt-out vehicle found in a nearby suburb
Source: | This article originally belonged to Dailymail.co.uk