A man has been charged with murder after he allegedly acted as a lookout in the gangland execution of crime figure Hamad Assaad.Â
Just after 6am on Thursday, officers from the Bass Hill Region Enforcement Squad banged down the front door of a home in Greenacre in Sydney's south-west.
More NSW News Videos
- Video duration
- 00:36
Man arrested over alleged murder of Hamad ...
Man arrested over alleged murder of Hamad Assaad
A 24-year-old man has been arrested in Greenacre in connection with the execution of crime figure Hamad Assaad.
Up Next
Winter isn't coming, it's already here
- Video duration
- 00:34
- Video duration
- 00:34
Winter isn't coming, it's already here
Winter isn't coming, it's already here
After a mild start to the season, Sydney is facing a cold front with temperatures dropping to single digits.
Up Next
This is bigger than a leaflet: Di Natale
- Video duration
- 01:27
- Video duration
- 01:27
This is bigger than a leaflet: Di Natale
This is bigger than a leaflet: Di Natale
The Greens vote to exclude NSW senator Lee Rhiannon is not just about the anti-Gonski leaflet she approved, but deeper issues within the party, according to leader Richard Di Natale.
Up Next
Stolen Generations lesson attracts controversy
- Video duration
- 01:17
- Video duration
- 01:17
Stolen Generations lesson attracts ...
Stolen Generations lesson attracts controversy
A Catholic school is facing strong backlash after students were told they would be taken from their parents as part of a lesson about the Stolen Generations. Vision: Seven News
Up Next
Greens senator suspended
- Video duration
- 01:05
- Video duration
- 01:05
Greens senator suspended
Greens senator suspended
Senator Lee Rhiannon will be barred from taking part in some Greens party room decision making until her NSW wing makes a series of reforms.
Up Next
Under-7's footy match turns ugly
- Video duration
- 01:17
- Video duration
- 01:17
Under-7's footy match turns ugly
Under-7's footy match turns ugly
A man will face court after a sideline brawl broke out among spectators at an Under 7s rugby league match in Oatley. Vision: Seven News
Up Next
Man charged with 'up-skirting' at Woolworths
- Video duration
- 02:02
- Video duration
- 02:02
Man charged with 'up-skirting' at ...
Man charged with 'up-skirting' at Woolworths
Bibek Guragain, who worked at the supermarket in Surry Hills, was accused of filming female colleagues using the toilet.
Man arrested over alleged murder of Hamad Assaad
A 24-year-old man has been arrested in Greenacre in connection with the execution of crime figure Hamad Assaad.
Homicide Squad detectives then arrested 24-year-old plumber Osama Hawat inside.
He was taken to Bankstown police station and charged over the alleged murder of Mr Assaad last October.Â
Mr Hawat was also charged with participating in a criminal group.Â
Police will allege he acted as a lookout on the day Mr Assaad was peppered with bullets in the driveway of his home in Georges Hall.Â
He appeared briefly in Bankstown Local Court on Thursday afternoon as his wife cried in the public gallery.Â
He did not apply for bail but his lawyer Ahmed Dib indicated he would make an application at the next court appearance.Â
Outside court, Mr Dib said the allegations against his client were very circumstantial.Â
"He says he has nothing to do with the murder and they are allegations against him putting pressure on him so he might be able to squeal on other people," Mr Dib said.
Detectives spent the morning searching through a white work van parked in the cul-de-sac outside Mr Hawat's duplex while other officers searched inside the property.Â
A black Audi was towed from the scene.Â
Friends tried to cover their faces as they turned up to the house about 8am. They asked to be let inside before lashing out at waiting media.
The arrest marks a major development for police investigating a string of gangland shootings over the past 14 months, four of which are thought to be linked to the same feud between powerful families in Sydney's south-west.
Mr Assaad was getting into his car to take a relative to school when two men ambushed him in his driveway.
The 29-year-old crime figure, who earned a reputation for arrogance and drug rip-offs, was shot more than a dozen times just after 9am on October 25.
He bled out on the concrete.
Mr Assaad's rumoured role in the shooting of crime kingpin Wally Ahmad six months earlier may have led to his death.
Police believe at least four people were involved in shooting Mr Assaad, including two gunmen, a getaway driver and a lookout.
A suspect, Kemel "Blackie" Barakat, was shot dead inside his Mortlake unit in March.
A number of gunmen managed to get into his secure apartment block in the middle of the night and shot him several times in his bed.
Mr Barakat was the right-hand man of Wally's brother, Rock Ahmad.
The ongoing conflict stemmed back to the shooting death of Safwan Charbaji - Mr Assaad's close friend - outside Wally Ahmad's smash repairs in April 2016.