A Comanchero motorcycle boss who survived a shooting earlier this year has been charged with murder following a dramatic Sydney police operation related to the 2014 death of Youssef Assoum.
Tactical police fired rubber bullets at a car on New South Head Road in Edgecliff in Sydney’s east this afternoon.
Tarek Zahed, who was shot several times at a Sydney gym in May this year, has been arrested. (Edwina Pickles)
Zahed was then removed from the vehicle and taken to Surry Hills Police Station.
Later that night, police charged Zahed with murder and kidnapping in company with intent to commit a serious crime.
The charge stems from the death of 29-year-old Assoum, who was found with a gunshot wound to the thigh and multiple cuts to the head on Claribel Street in Bankstown in the early hours of December 11, 2014.
Tarek (right) survived, but his brother Omar (left) Zahed was killed after being sprayed with bullets at the BodyFit gym in Auburn. (Supplied)
The police had been called to a report of a stabbing. Assoum was helped by an off-duty doctor and rushed to Liverpool Hospital in a critical condition, but later died.
Homicide squad commander Detective Constable Danny Doherty said tonight Zahed is one of several targets of Taskforce Erebus, which investigates gangland shootings.
“We will allege that this person is responsible for the murder of Mr. Assoum in 2014 and that his senior position in the OMCG Comanchero links him to a number of other matters relevant to the police,” he said.
Zahed was arrested following a tactical police operation in Edgecliff. (9 News)
“As part of the terms of reference for Taskforce Erebus, a significant number of investigators and analysts are examining a range of individuals and crimes and any connections they may have to current criminal conflicts.
“This man’s arrest should serve as a stark warning to those involved – the police are watching you closely and will abruptly end your lavish lifestyle when you least expect it,” Doherty added.