AI-generated summary
The Alameddine family operates a crime network in Western Sydney and has been involved in tit-for-tat violence with rival gangs over the past year. Senior members, including Rafat Alameddine, fled to Lebanon in 2023 and remain in hiding. Prior incidents include a firebombing linked to the 'Coconut Cartel', which used a historic slur against Pasifika people as its name.
A member of Sydney's Alameddine family is fighting for life after being shot at a home in the city's west overnight.
Police were called to the property in Guildford about 7:40pm on Saturday after reports a 28-year-old man sustained gunshot wounds to his back.
Sources have told the ABC the man is a relative of the Alameddine crime family.
Police said several men entered the home and shot the man before fleeing in a white SUV.
He was treated by paramedics at the scene, but was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.
The Alameddines operate a crime network out of Western Sydney and have been involved in a series of tit-for-tat acts of violence with other gangs over the past year.
Their senior members, including Rafat Alameddine, fled the country in 2023 and remain in hiding in Lebanon.
Underworld tensions
The shooting could reignite underworld tensions between the Alameddines and other gangland rivals.
A car on the same street was firebombed this year as part of a feud between them and the self-proclaimed "Coconut Cartel", which takes its name from a historic slur against Pasifika people.
While the assailants attacked the wrong property on January 21, torching the car of an innocent neighbour, they left a message on a piece of cardboard.
"Sign the contract big boy … PS the Coconut Cartel," the sign, seen by the ABC, read.
A message attached to a video of the arson purportedly sent by the "Coconut Cartel" soon after began spreading through underworld circles.
"[The Alameddines] will be targeted until this so-called crime family is out of our streets," the message read.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Police will increase patrols and surveillance in Western Sydney to prevent further violence
Likely · Within days
The Alameddine family may retaliate against the Coconut Cartel or other rivals
Possible · Within weeks
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