More NSW News Videos
- Video duration
- 00:33
Fatal shooting in Mortlake
Fatal shooting in Mortlake
Kemel Barakat, a suspect in the execution of Sydney crime figure Hamad Assaad, has been shot dead at his unit in Mortlake. Vision courtesy Seven News.
Up Next
Tow in surfing off Narrabeen
- Video duration
- 00:55
- Video duration
- 00:55
Tow in surfing off Narrabeen
Tow in surfing off Narrabeen
With Autumn on the horizon, the cooler temperatures aren't putting of some surfer in Narrabeen. Vision: Nick Moir.
Up Next
Youth fined after girlfriends death
- Video duration
- 02:02
- Video duration
- 02:02
Youth fined after girlfriends death
Youth fined after girlfriends death
Jordan Duffy received a 12 month good behaviour bond and an $800 fine, after providing his girlfriend, Janie Panton Roberts, with the capsules of MDMA that caused her death.
Up Next
Man killed in Ultralight plane crash
- Video duration
- 00:30
- Video duration
- 00:30
Man killed in Ultralight plane crash
Man killed in Ultralight plane crash
An ultralight kit aircraft took off from the Oaks airstrip and crashed 6kms southwest in a paddock, taking the life of one man. Vision: Seven News.
Up Next
Suspected gangland executioner shot in bed
- Video duration
- 02:08
- Video duration
- 02:08
Suspected gangland executioner shot in bed
Suspected gangland executioner shot in bed
Sydneyâs crime war threatening to erupt further after the murder of Hells Angel figure Kemel "Blackie" Barakat in his bed in his Sydney apartment.
Up Next
Body found floating in Sydney Harbour
- Video duration
- 00:23
- Video duration
- 00:23
Body found floating in Sydney Harbour
Body found floating in Sydney Harbour
Police are working to recover a manâs body from Sydney Harbour, after it was spotted floating in the water just off Darling Point.
Up Next
Surfing big waves at Queenscliff
- Video duration
- 00:35
- Video duration
- 00:35
Surfing big waves at Queenscliff
Surfing big waves at Queenscliff
Those brave enough to take on the swell were treated to some big if not messy waves on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Vision: Nick Moir
Up Next
Scorched earth from the Sir Ivan bushfire
- Video duration
- 02:12
- Video duration
- 02:12
Scorched earth from the Sir Ivan bushfire
Scorched earth from the Sir Ivan bushfire
Almost a month after a ferocious bushfire tore through Western NSW, the NSW Rural Fire Service has declared the Sir Ivan fire has been extinguished. NSW RFS also announced the fire, which destroyed 35 homes in Uarbry and its surrounds, was caused by a lightning strike.
Fatal shooting in Mortlake
Kemel Barakat, a suspect in the execution of Sydney crime figure Hamad Assaad, has been shot dead at his unit in Mortlake. Vision courtesy Seven News.
A suspect in the execution of Sydney crime figure Hamad Assaad has been shot dead in his flat in Sydney's inner west.
Kemel Barakat - nicknamed "Blackie" - was shot at point-blank range inside the unit in Bennett Street, Mortlake, in the early hours of Friday.
It is understood the bikie figure, who is well-known to police, was in bed when the gunman opened fire.
A woman was also home but escaped uninjured.
"Yes, there was a female home at the time," Burwood Local Area Command Superintendent Mark Jones confirmed.
"She is someone we want to speak to and she is being cared for by police as we speak.
"It is a very serious matter obviously and would be quite a stressful situation for her."
A crime scene is still in place at the apartment complex, with most of the street blocked off.
The gunman fled immediately after the shooting and the possible getaway car, a burnt-out Mercedes, was found smouldering at Belmore not long after.
As news of the killing spread, a number of grieving friends and relatives arrived at Mortlake.
Among them was an older man, who appeared to be distressed and was heard asking: "Where is my son?"
Rock Ahmad, the brother of slain gangland figure Walid 'Wally' Ahmad, also turned up at the crime scene on Friday afternoon, speaking briefly with police before leaving.
Barakat, 29, appears to be the latest victim in Sydney's prolonged gangland war.
Ever since Assaad, 29, was killed at his home in Georges Hall last October, Barakat was pinned as one of several suspects.
It is understood he was on the radar of homicide detectives investigating Assaad's death.
One strong line of inquiry was whether Assaad, an underworld figure with links to some of the city's powerful players, was killed in retribution for allegedly shooting Wally Ahmad.
Ahmad was shot dead at Bankstown Central shopping centre last April.
Assaad was ambushed in his driveway by two gunmen last October after he emerged as a suspect in the shooting of Ahmad.
Barakat was once a senior player in the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang and was arrested in a bikie crackdown in 2013.
However, it is understood his allegiances had moved to another club, the Hells Angels.
He had recently moved into the Mortlake apartment building and had been the subject of many police raids in recent months.
However, a friend told Fairfax Media he was "a very good husband, very caring and very giving."
"He cared a lot about his close friends," the friend said.
Barakat was the subject of a firearms prohibition order, which allowed police to search him, his home and his car without a warrant.
It was only last week that the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad carried out a search of his apartment on the banks of Yaralla Bay on the Parramatta River.
Barakat is a close associate of the Ahmads, a well-known and influential family in Sydney's south-west.
The latest death has fuelled fears of violent retribution.
Police were deployed across the city on Friday, talking to people with links to the victim in a bid to quell any retaliation.
Detectives from the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad will be assisting detectives from Burwood Local Area Command.
with Megan Levy
NOTE: Following updated information, the original story has been changed to reflect the whereabouts in the unit of the female witness.