Melbourne underworld figure Fadi Haddara shot outside home in suspected ambush
Police are probing a suspected targeted shooting after underworld figure Fadi Haddara was found bleeding outside his home in the city’s west on Sunday
Melbourne police are probing a suspected targeted shooting after underworld figure Fadi Haddara was found bleeding outside his home in the city’s west on Sunday night. A family member discovered him near his BMW with gunshot wounds to the upper body.
The 48-year-old was lying in a pool of blood outside his Altona North home about 7.45pm, detectives said. He was rushed to Royal Melbourne Hospital and remained in critical condition on Monday afternoon. Fragile. Very fragile.
Police treat attack as targeted
Detective Inspector Adam Tilley said investigators had not yet spoken to Haddara, and the motive and the number of people involved had not been established. But police believe the shooting was targeted, in part because of Haddara’s profile and extensive history known to police.
The attack has rattled detectives already bracing for possible retaliation. Reports in local media raised fears of a revenge strike after the ambush, a familiar pattern in Melbourne’s long-running gangland conflicts.
Links to illicit tobacco trade
Haddara is alleged to lead a family clan linked to Melbourne’s illicit tobacco trade. His group has been described as a rival of a syndicate led by tobacco kingpin Kazem Hamad, who has been connected to a series of high-profile firebombings in Victoria as control of the importation and distribution of illegal tobacco has turned violent.
The shooting adds a fresh flashpoint to a turf battle that has already spread across Melbourne’s underworld and drawn police attention for months. In a city where tobacco crime has increasingly overlapped with arson, extortion and ambush attacks, the latest episode has sharpened fears of another round of reprisals.
Neighbours heard gunfire
A neighbour told reporters they heard multiple gunshots before the emergency response moved into Altona North. The account matched the abrupt, late-evening violence that ended with Haddara found by a family member outside the home.
Investigators are waiting for Haddara to recover enough to be interviewed. For now, the case hinges on a narrow set of facts: a 48-year-old man, a suburban driveway, and at least one shooter who is still unidentified. Police say the victim was found near his BMW. That is where the inquiry starts.
