By Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop and Anton Rose, ABC
A white van was found on fire shortly after the shooting. Photo: ABC News / Supplied
Police had intelligence that Sydney's notorious Alameddine organised crime network wanted a former UFC fighter dead more than 18 months before he was shot and murdered in the city's north-west this week.
Suman Mokhtarian, 33, was gunned down in broad daylight on Wednesday evening (local time), as he walked along a suburban street in Riverstone, metres from a toddler.
Senior NSW Police officers told the ABC an earlier investigation into a failed attempt on Mokhtarian's life uncovered intelligence that the Alameddine network had put out a contract to kill him.
The mixed martial arts trainer and fighter survived that attack in February last year, when a gunman disguised as a food delivery rider opened fire on him outside his Wentworthville gym.
Suman Mokhtarian was gunned down on Wednesday evening. Photo: ABC News / Mario Conti
Two men, aged 19 and 20, were charged with the attempted murder.
Police will allege they were foot soldiers for the Alameddine family, according to the officers who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Police believe the crime network targeted Mokhtarian in retaliation for a "drug rip" - the theft of a valuable haul of narcotics.
Mokhtarian had recently closed his Australian Top Team gym because of fears for his safety, the ABC understands.
A senior officer said police regarded the gym as a melting pot for organised crime figures, including members of the Comanchero bikie gang.
Mokhtarian sent messages before his death
In April, police intelligence about the contract also forced the cancellation of a mixed martial arts event, the Dark Matter Fighting Championship, which Mokhtarian was planning to attend.
Suman Mokhtarian had recently closed his Australian Top Team gym due to safety concerns. Photo: ABC News / Ethan Rix
Soon after Wednesday's shooting, police found a red Audi hatchback and a white van burning on nearby streets.
Video obtained by the ABC showed the Audi speeding away moments after the attack, before it was set alight.
Separate footage showed two masked men running from a flaming van, before it rolled from a driveway.
Rumours of the Alameddine network's contract on Mokhtarian's life surfaced on Thursday on the Instagram account SCN Worldstar, which posts updates on Sydney's underworld.
The account shared messages apparently sent by Mokhtarian before his death.
"If they gonna kill me, I need to make sure people have a good image," one read.
Another said, "When people try and kill you, you tend to start reading between the lines and paying attention to more detail. Nekkk minute I get capped."
An Instagram account has shared messages apparently from Suman Mokhtarian. Photo: ABC News / Jack Ailwood
The Alameddine network, based in Sydney and Lebanon, has been plagued by internal conflict that has fuelled a wave of public attacks this year, including assassinations.
Police said the crime family ran a transnational enterprise spanning drug importations, a vast drug-dealing operation, extortions, armed conflict and brutal murders.
NSW Police established Taskforce Falcon in May to investigate the surge in public violence linked to the Alameddine network.
- ABC
