2 days ago
High-profile gangland figure Sam “the Punisher” Abdulrahim has been shot and killed.
A man was shot in a car park on High Street in Preston in Melbourne’s inner-north about 10.30am on Monday, police say.
He died at the scene.
Homicide squad detectives are investigating and have not confirmed the man’s identity but say they believe it was targeted.
Abdulrahim is understood to have had had multiple bounties on his life.
Victoria Police cordoned off the area and declared a crime scene.
The force also said that a car fire in Reservoir just after 10.30am near the intersection of Northernhay and Alexandra streets was believed to be linked to the shooting. The car was a white Porsche.
Anyone who witnessed the shooting or fire or has dashcam/CCTV footage, or any information was urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
An associate of Abdulrahim posted a tribute on social media.
“It is with great sadness that our dear brother Sam Abdulrahim has tragically passed away and returned to his Lord,” the associate posted to Facebook.
“May Allah have mercy on his soul, forgive his sins and give his family patience and strength
Abdulrahim, a professional boxer and former Mongols bikie, survived a shooting in suburban Melbourne in May last year, which came two years after a murder attempt outside a cemetery.
Like other prominent gangland figures recently killed in Melbourne, there was no shortage of people who wanted Abdulrahim dead, nor secret that they were willing to pay for it.
The 32-year-old, who was known as Sam but whose real name was Suleiman.
Abdulrahim was not considered by authorities to be someone with significant influence.
His criminal history was far from unusual: he recorded convictions as a youth offender in his teens, before becoming more involved in serious offending including brawls and gun offences in his 20s.
In 2018, he was sentenced to more than three years in prison for culpable driving causing death and charges relating to possession of a drug of dependence.
The Parole Board ordered that he be released on parole the following year.
But three months later, on the basis of police intelligence that he was the suspected target in three recent shootings, the board cancelled his parole.
“The Board considered that the safety and protection of the community was paramount,” the supreme court later found.
The parole board decision was overturned in court later in 2019.
The court also found that Abdulrahim was in detention for 72 days, spent 35 days in solitary confinement, and was deprived of various privileges, because of the suspicion he was in danger.
He was also hit in the back of the head with a rock during this time in prison.
Abdulrahim was believed to have several business interests, including in gyms, tattoo studios, and nail salons, many of which had been shot at or targeted in arson attacks.
