Key Points
- Police are bracing for revenge attacks after two women were killed.
- Police say it breached an unwritten gangland rule.
Police are bracing for revenge attacks after two women were gunned down in an unprecedented attack on a southwest Sydney street.
The women, identified in reports as 48-year-old mother of two Lametta Fadlallah and Amy Hazouri, 39, were killed on Saturday night when the car they were sitting in was peppered with bullets.
A 16-year-old girl and a man, 20, were also in the car and police say they were "very lucky they were not killed as well".
Homicide Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty, described the attack, which took place in the suburb of Panania, as "unprecedented" and "horrendous", saying it had breached an unwritten gangland rule that protected women and children from attacks.
"It's been long held, in the past that you don't target children and women and family," he told Sydney radio 2GB on Monday.
"If there's a conflict between two criminal networks they will target each other.
"In this case, we've just seen the rule book completely ignored and thrown out the window."
Criminal executions in Sydney over the past two years have seen more than a dozen fatal hits as gangs feud over turf and drugs.
"This one's now a new low," Det Supt Doherty said.
Police believe Ms Fadlallah was the target of the attack because of past connections to underworld figures, while hairdresser Ms Hazouri was caught in the crossfire as a volley of shots were discharged into the back seat of the car.
Police are targeting criminal networks in southwest Sydney amid fears of revenge attacks.
"There's always a fear of ... some type of retribution," Det Supt Doherty said.
Burned-out cars were found in nearby suburbs in the hours after the attack and police are investigating if they are linked to the shooting.
"These are the hallmarks of a planned attack; it was methodical, it was planned," Det Supt Doherty said.
Strike Force Laurantus has been established to investigate the shooting.
Share
