Man arrested at Sydney airport over fatal shooting of Taha Sabbagh in front of his son outside a gym
The 26-year-old man was arrested at Sydney International Airport on Sunday.()
A man has been arrested at Sydney airport over the alleged fatal shooting of a man outside a martial arts gym in Western Sydney last month.
Key points:
- Police say the man, 26, was reportedly trying to leave the country
- He is yet to be charged
- In March, Taha Sabbagh was shot multiple times while sitting in his car next to his son
NSW Police said the 26-year-old was taken into custody at about 3.30pm on Sunday as he was reportedly trying to leave the country. He is yet to be charged.
In the early hours of March 2, Taha Sabbagh and his son had pulled into the car park of the Elite Fight Force gym on Carlingford Street in Sefton.
At the time, police said the 40-year-old had received multiple shots while sitting in his car as his son looked on, suspecting the incident to be related to organised crime.
Paramedics assisted Mr Sabbagh but he died at the scene.
“It’s horrendous to think a 12-year-old had to witness his father being shot dead in this manner,” Homicide Squad Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said following the incident.
“It’s a sickening feeling. [The offenders are] callous, brazen and have little disregard for human life.”
A Mazda 3 was used as a getaway car, which was driven to Magdella Street in the nearby suburb of Birrong before it was set on fire.
“We believe this was a targeted attack. It bears the hallmarks of an organised crime murder,” Superintendent Doherty said.
“He was associated with people who are well-known to police and have strong criminal activity connected to them.”
Family and friends were posting on social media at the time, that his death was a case of “mistaken identity”.
Prior to Mr Sabbagh’s death, Sydney had experienced a lull in public shootings linked to organised crime.
However, his killing was the first that police attributed to gang warfare since August 2022.
The man is at Surry Hills Police Station and is helping police with inquiries.
Strike Force Pemak was set up to investigate the circumstances around the shooting with detectives from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad, assisted by Bankstown Police Area Command and South-West Metropolitan Region.
ABC
