Latest news with #Comancheros
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Notorious outlaw bikie Tarek Zahed shows off the gruesome injuries he suffered in assassination attempt for the first time as he takes a selfie with footy great Wayne Carey
Comancheros bikie kingpin Tarek Zahed has shown off the gruesome aftermath of ab infamous attempt on his life for the first time in a selfie taken with scandal-plagued footy great Wayne Carey. Nicknamed the ' Balenciaga bikie' or 'Gucci gangster' for his love of designer clothing, Zahed was shot 10 times outside a gym in the western Sydney suburb of Auburn in May 2022. His brother Omar, 39, went into cardiac arrest and died at the scene after he was shot several times in the arms, stomach and legs, while Zahed was rushed to Westmead Hospital in critical condition. He survived the attack but suffered significant injuries, including losing his right eye. While his catastrophic injuries had previously been shown in a mugshot, this is the first time the damage to his eye has been shown clearly. Doctors were stunned at his recovery from the shooting after he spent months in hospital, but there was nothing they could do to save his eye, which was destroyed by a bullet. In the weeks leading up to the horror shooting, the former Comanchero national sergeant-at-arms was warned by organised crime detectives to 'stop going to the gym, change your routine'. His friends even begged him to 'play it safe' and stop after learning that a $1million bounty had been put out on him by rivals. Last August, it was reported that Zahed would move to Melbourne after he was freed from jail after spending two years behind bars for destroying evidence related to the execution of family friend Youssef Assoum in Sydney in 2014. Police arrested him for that crime in dramatic scenes that saw officers in tactical gear fire rubber bullets into his BMW. Zahed had no involvement in Assoum's death, and Daily Mail Australia does not suggest that Carey knew Zahed's identity and past when the photo was taken. The image has surfaced shortly after Carey, 54, attracted headlines over visiting a trendy bar in Melbourne's inner south east, where two other patrons a accused him of engaging in a sexual encounter with marketing executive Kate Aston. Both Carey and Aston vehemently deny any 'toilet tryst' took place. Carey lashed out on X following the incident, adamant the two women who filmed the vision had created a 'disgusting narrative'. Given his scandalous past, 'Duck' didn't garner much support on social media from footy fans. AFL legend Wayne Carey lashed out in anger after he was featured in a video taken in a trendy Toorak wine bar The women who took the video (pictured) accused Carey of having a sexual encounter with a woman at the venue - which he and the woman have both denied in no uncertain terms Many referenced his infamous cheating scandal with Kelli Stevens, the wife of his North Melbourne teammate Anthony Stevens, which became footy's biggest scandal when the news broke in March of 2002. Others raised his alleged glassing of ex-fiancée Kate Neilson. In 2007, Carey was accused of smashing a glass into her face as the pair were having dinner at a restaurant while holidaying in Miami. He was arrested and charged by police and later pleaded guilty to two counts of battery of a law enforcement officer and one count of resisting arrest with violence. Some commenters pointed to the September 2022 incident that saw Carey kicked out of Perth's Crown Casino when a bag containing a white powder fell out of his pocket while he was gambling. Carey said the bag contained crushed-up anti-inflammatory drugs. And his guilty plea to a charge of indecent assault after grabbing a woman's breast outside a Melbourne nightclub in 1996 was also raised by footy fans who used it to shoot down his complaint about not consenting to the filming of the video. Speaking on Sam Newman's You Cannot Be Serious podcast, Carey revealed his anger over the Toorak video. Carey (pictured, with partner Jessica Paulke) branded the people behind the video 'vile and disgusting' 'You've got two ... disturbing ... women who want to do this to another woman,' he fumed. 'That's all they were doing, they were s**t-shaming another woman. 'I'm not going to name them because that would be as pathetic as what they are. I'll let the law take care of it.' Carey added that one of the women's claim that she heard people 'grunting like pigs' in the toilet just before the video was taken is 'completely made-up crap.'
The Advertiser
02-07-2025
- The Advertiser
Parking rangers foiled alleged murder plot: prosecutors
A close associate of a slain drug kingpin avoided being killed in a police station hit job because parking inspectors spotted an illegally parked getaway car, prosecutors claim. Andre Kallita was almost gunned down outside the Day Street police station in Sydney's CBD in an alleged December 2023 plot by associates of Bilal Haouchar's Lebanon-based crime syndicate. Bilal's younger brother Omar Haouchar, 32, has been charged over the attempted murder plot. He's been accused of using the handle 'Invisible' on the encrypted messaging app Threema to organise the plot with several others. In early 2023, a dispute arose between the Haouchar crime network and the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang over a drug debt, documents filed with the NSW Supreme Court reveal. Kallita was allegedly a member of the Comancheros and was a close associate of cocaine kingpin Alen Moridian, who himself was gunned down in a Bondi Junction car park in June 2023, the documents say. Various alleged members of the Kallita murder plot have been accused of participating in the Moridian murder. Prosecutors claim Omar Haouchar was part of a conspiracy to murder Kallita, and there was enough circumstantial evidence to prove he used the Threema handle 'Invisible'. Defence lawyers have rejected the allegations at previous bail hearings, saying there was no link between their client and the Threema username. A chat titled 'Urgent' discussed staking out the police station, having a car with two "hitters" waiting nearby and possible use of a drone. Invisible eventually called off the plan, police documents reveal. "Boys I'm gona (sic) shut this group down as know one (sic) is interested clearly," he wrote on December 9. The plot was then taken up by others - without Omar Haouchar's involvement - including two men going by the usernames Stone Cold and NightWing, court documents reveal. Under the alleged plan, a burner phone was sourced and three stolen getaway cars were parked across Sydney - all of which would have been destroyed by fire afterwards. "Do not panic or rush anything or it will turn into a mess," NightWing wrote the day before the alleged attempted murder. "Make sure target is down and dead." One of the "spotters" in the stake-out car was offered $80,000 while the actual shooter could have earned up to $800,000, police allege. While everyone was in place outside Day Street police station, the plan was called off after parking rangers spotted one of the getaway cars parked illegally nearby. "There's people around hit car and ticket guy," NightWing wrote. "Bros said wrap it up. Come again Wednesday. Safety first" A second murder attempt was planned, however the shooter was arrested by police before that could occur. Omar Haouchar was arrested over the alleged plot in January. The 32-year-old has not yet entered a plea to the single charge of conspiracy to murder. At a bail hearing in June, he proposed putting up a cemetery as security to support his release into the community. A decision over whether he will be released has not yet been made. Kallita is believed to be overseas, court documents reveal. The Haouchar syndicate has been tied to $1.5 billion in cryptocurrency transactions and various firearm, drug, tobacco and money-laundering offences, police said previously. Bilal Haouchar is in a Lebanese prison serving an eight-year sentence, according to court documents. A close associate of a slain drug kingpin avoided being killed in a police station hit job because parking inspectors spotted an illegally parked getaway car, prosecutors claim. Andre Kallita was almost gunned down outside the Day Street police station in Sydney's CBD in an alleged December 2023 plot by associates of Bilal Haouchar's Lebanon-based crime syndicate. Bilal's younger brother Omar Haouchar, 32, has been charged over the attempted murder plot. He's been accused of using the handle 'Invisible' on the encrypted messaging app Threema to organise the plot with several others. In early 2023, a dispute arose between the Haouchar crime network and the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang over a drug debt, documents filed with the NSW Supreme Court reveal. Kallita was allegedly a member of the Comancheros and was a close associate of cocaine kingpin Alen Moridian, who himself was gunned down in a Bondi Junction car park in June 2023, the documents say. Various alleged members of the Kallita murder plot have been accused of participating in the Moridian murder. Prosecutors claim Omar Haouchar was part of a conspiracy to murder Kallita, and there was enough circumstantial evidence to prove he used the Threema handle 'Invisible'. Defence lawyers have rejected the allegations at previous bail hearings, saying there was no link between their client and the Threema username. A chat titled 'Urgent' discussed staking out the police station, having a car with two "hitters" waiting nearby and possible use of a drone. Invisible eventually called off the plan, police documents reveal. "Boys I'm gona (sic) shut this group down as know one (sic) is interested clearly," he wrote on December 9. The plot was then taken up by others - without Omar Haouchar's involvement - including two men going by the usernames Stone Cold and NightWing, court documents reveal. Under the alleged plan, a burner phone was sourced and three stolen getaway cars were parked across Sydney - all of which would have been destroyed by fire afterwards. "Do not panic or rush anything or it will turn into a mess," NightWing wrote the day before the alleged attempted murder. "Make sure target is down and dead." One of the "spotters" in the stake-out car was offered $80,000 while the actual shooter could have earned up to $800,000, police allege. While everyone was in place outside Day Street police station, the plan was called off after parking rangers spotted one of the getaway cars parked illegally nearby. "There's people around hit car and ticket guy," NightWing wrote. "Bros said wrap it up. Come again Wednesday. Safety first" A second murder attempt was planned, however the shooter was arrested by police before that could occur. Omar Haouchar was arrested over the alleged plot in January. The 32-year-old has not yet entered a plea to the single charge of conspiracy to murder. At a bail hearing in June, he proposed putting up a cemetery as security to support his release into the community. A decision over whether he will be released has not yet been made. Kallita is believed to be overseas, court documents reveal. The Haouchar syndicate has been tied to $1.5 billion in cryptocurrency transactions and various firearm, drug, tobacco and money-laundering offences, police said previously. Bilal Haouchar is in a Lebanese prison serving an eight-year sentence, according to court documents. A close associate of a slain drug kingpin avoided being killed in a police station hit job because parking inspectors spotted an illegally parked getaway car, prosecutors claim. Andre Kallita was almost gunned down outside the Day Street police station in Sydney's CBD in an alleged December 2023 plot by associates of Bilal Haouchar's Lebanon-based crime syndicate. Bilal's younger brother Omar Haouchar, 32, has been charged over the attempted murder plot. He's been accused of using the handle 'Invisible' on the encrypted messaging app Threema to organise the plot with several others. In early 2023, a dispute arose between the Haouchar crime network and the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang over a drug debt, documents filed with the NSW Supreme Court reveal. Kallita was allegedly a member of the Comancheros and was a close associate of cocaine kingpin Alen Moridian, who himself was gunned down in a Bondi Junction car park in June 2023, the documents say. Various alleged members of the Kallita murder plot have been accused of participating in the Moridian murder. Prosecutors claim Omar Haouchar was part of a conspiracy to murder Kallita, and there was enough circumstantial evidence to prove he used the Threema handle 'Invisible'. Defence lawyers have rejected the allegations at previous bail hearings, saying there was no link between their client and the Threema username. A chat titled 'Urgent' discussed staking out the police station, having a car with two "hitters" waiting nearby and possible use of a drone. Invisible eventually called off the plan, police documents reveal. "Boys I'm gona (sic) shut this group down as know one (sic) is interested clearly," he wrote on December 9. The plot was then taken up by others - without Omar Haouchar's involvement - including two men going by the usernames Stone Cold and NightWing, court documents reveal. Under the alleged plan, a burner phone was sourced and three stolen getaway cars were parked across Sydney - all of which would have been destroyed by fire afterwards. "Do not panic or rush anything or it will turn into a mess," NightWing wrote the day before the alleged attempted murder. "Make sure target is down and dead." One of the "spotters" in the stake-out car was offered $80,000 while the actual shooter could have earned up to $800,000, police allege. While everyone was in place outside Day Street police station, the plan was called off after parking rangers spotted one of the getaway cars parked illegally nearby. "There's people around hit car and ticket guy," NightWing wrote. "Bros said wrap it up. Come again Wednesday. Safety first" A second murder attempt was planned, however the shooter was arrested by police before that could occur. Omar Haouchar was arrested over the alleged plot in January. The 32-year-old has not yet entered a plea to the single charge of conspiracy to murder. At a bail hearing in June, he proposed putting up a cemetery as security to support his release into the community. A decision over whether he will be released has not yet been made. Kallita is believed to be overseas, court documents reveal. The Haouchar syndicate has been tied to $1.5 billion in cryptocurrency transactions and various firearm, drug, tobacco and money-laundering offences, police said previously. Bilal Haouchar is in a Lebanese prison serving an eight-year sentence, according to court documents. A close associate of a slain drug kingpin avoided being killed in a police station hit job because parking inspectors spotted an illegally parked getaway car, prosecutors claim. Andre Kallita was almost gunned down outside the Day Street police station in Sydney's CBD in an alleged December 2023 plot by associates of Bilal Haouchar's Lebanon-based crime syndicate. Bilal's younger brother Omar Haouchar, 32, has been charged over the attempted murder plot. He's been accused of using the handle 'Invisible' on the encrypted messaging app Threema to organise the plot with several others. In early 2023, a dispute arose between the Haouchar crime network and the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang over a drug debt, documents filed with the NSW Supreme Court reveal. Kallita was allegedly a member of the Comancheros and was a close associate of cocaine kingpin Alen Moridian, who himself was gunned down in a Bondi Junction car park in June 2023, the documents say. Various alleged members of the Kallita murder plot have been accused of participating in the Moridian murder. Prosecutors claim Omar Haouchar was part of a conspiracy to murder Kallita, and there was enough circumstantial evidence to prove he used the Threema handle 'Invisible'. Defence lawyers have rejected the allegations at previous bail hearings, saying there was no link between their client and the Threema username. A chat titled 'Urgent' discussed staking out the police station, having a car with two "hitters" waiting nearby and possible use of a drone. Invisible eventually called off the plan, police documents reveal. "Boys I'm gona (sic) shut this group down as know one (sic) is interested clearly," he wrote on December 9. The plot was then taken up by others - without Omar Haouchar's involvement - including two men going by the usernames Stone Cold and NightWing, court documents reveal. Under the alleged plan, a burner phone was sourced and three stolen getaway cars were parked across Sydney - all of which would have been destroyed by fire afterwards. "Do not panic or rush anything or it will turn into a mess," NightWing wrote the day before the alleged attempted murder. "Make sure target is down and dead." One of the "spotters" in the stake-out car was offered $80,000 while the actual shooter could have earned up to $800,000, police allege. While everyone was in place outside Day Street police station, the plan was called off after parking rangers spotted one of the getaway cars parked illegally nearby. "There's people around hit car and ticket guy," NightWing wrote. "Bros said wrap it up. Come again Wednesday. Safety first" A second murder attempt was planned, however the shooter was arrested by police before that could occur. Omar Haouchar was arrested over the alleged plot in January. The 32-year-old has not yet entered a plea to the single charge of conspiracy to murder. At a bail hearing in June, he proposed putting up a cemetery as security to support his release into the community. A decision over whether he will be released has not yet been made. Kallita is believed to be overseas, court documents reveal. The Haouchar syndicate has been tied to $1.5 billion in cryptocurrency transactions and various firearm, drug, tobacco and money-laundering offences, police said previously. Bilal Haouchar is in a Lebanese prison serving an eight-year sentence, according to court documents.
Perth Now
02-07-2025
- Perth Now
Parking inspectors foiled alleged murder plot: court
A close associate of a slain drug kingpin avoided being killed in a police station hit job because parking inspectors spotted an illegally parked getaway car, prosecutors claim. Andre Kallita was almost gunned down outside the Day Street police station in Sydney's CBD in an alleged December 2023 plot by associates of Bilal Haouchar's Lebanon-based crime syndicate. Bilal's younger brother Omar Haouchar, 32, has been charged over the attempted murder plot. He's been accused of using the handle 'Invisible' on the encrypted messaging app Threema to organise the plot with several others. In early 2023, a dispute arose between the Haouchar crime network and the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang over a drug debt, documents filed with the NSW Supreme Court reveal. Kallita was allegedly a member of the Comancheros and was a close associate of cocaine kingpin Alen Moridian, who himself was gunned down in a Bondi Junction car park in June 2023, the documents say. Various alleged members of the Kallita murder plot have been accused of participating in the Moridian murder. Prosecutors claim Omar Haouchar was part of a conspiracy to murder Kallita, and there was enough circumstantial evidence to prove he used the Threema handle 'Invisible'. Defence lawyers have rejected the allegations at previous bail hearings, saying there was no link between their client and the Threema username. A chat titled 'Urgent' discussed staking out the police station, having a car with two "hitters" waiting nearby and possible use of a drone. Invisible eventually called off the plan, police documents reveal. "Boys I'm gona (sic) shut this group down as know one (sic) is interested clearly," he wrote on December 9. The plot was then taken up by others - without Omar Haouchar's involvement - including two men going by the usernames Stone Cold and NightWing, court documents reveal. Under the alleged plan, a burner phone was sourced and three stolen getaway cars were parked across Sydney - all of which would have been destroyed by fire afterwards. "Do not panic or rush anything or it will turn into a mess," NightWing wrote the day before the alleged attempted murder. "Make sure target is down and dead." One of the "spotters" in the stake-out car was offered $80,000 while the actual shooter could have earned up to $800,000, police allege. While everyone was in place outside Day Street police station, the plan was called off after parking rangers spotted one of the getaway cars parked illegally nearby. "There's people around hit car and ticket guy," NightWing wrote. "Bros said wrap it up. Come again Wednesday. Safety first" A second murder attempt was planned, however the shooter was arrested by police before that could occur. Omar Haouchar was arrested over the alleged plot in January. The 32-year-old has not yet entered a plea to the single charge of conspiracy to murder. At a bail hearing in June, he proposed putting up a cemetery as security to support his release into the community. A decision over whether he will be released has not yet been made. Kallita is believed to be overseas, court documents reveal. The Haouchar syndicate has been tied to $1.5 billion in cryptocurrency transactions and various firearm, drug, tobacco and money-laundering offences, police said previously. Bilal Haouchar is in a Lebanese prison serving an eight-year sentence, according to court documents.
NZ Herald
28-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Gang retribution: Comancheros member Patrick Langi pleads guilty to Auckland shootings
He is the second defendant to have pleaded guilty in as many weeks after the Crown agreed to drop a charge of attempted murder. Justice Mathew Downs set a sentencing date of August 19 alongside co-defendant Elijah Meyer, 23. The duo was due to stand trial next month. 'Targeted retribution' Court documents state Langi and Meyer, a Comancheros prospect, carried out the shootings in August 2023 after high-ranking patched member Khalid Slaimankhel said he wanted out. Slaimankhel is serving a six-year sentence in Ngāwha prison in Northland for his part in a Comanchero's methamphetamine distribution scheme. 'Mr Slaimankhel recently sought to leave the Comancheros and was ordered to pay his way out in order to leave the gang, which he did not do,' authorities said of the gang's new ill will towards the member. 'These events were a targeted retribution intended to deliver a message to Mr Slaimankhel.' On August 10, 2023 - just over two weeks before the shootings occurred - the Department of Corrections searched Unit 8 of Rimutaka Prison, where gang president Naufahu and fellow patched member Jalal Safi were housed. Comancheros MC president Pasilika Naufahu, pictured during a court appearance in 2021. Photo / NZME Officers seized notebooks from Safi's cell, as well as a mobile phone he was using when the search began. Authorities would later realise the phone had been used to search Google Maps for the same streets where the shootings would later occur. The notebooks also contained addresses on those streets, with notations such as 'mum' and 'brother older'. On August 15, 10 days before the shootings, Langi used his phone to screenshot maps of the same addresses. That same day, co-defendant Meyer was 'directed by unknown parties to conduct surveillance' on the addresses. He took notes and photos that were later recovered from his phone. Timeline of violence Langi and Meyer showed up at the first property, in Epsom, about 7pm on August 25, 2023. Meyer fired at least three shots while another unidentified man was armed but his gun appears to have jammed, documents state. 'One of the fired projectiles went through the wooden window frame of the master bedroom at the front of the house, causing the interior of the window frame to chip off,' court documents state. 'At the time of the shooting there were eight occupants within the house, including three young children playing in the master bedroom that was shot at.' Thirteen minutes later, after fleeing the scene, the stolen car used by the duo was torched. Meyer and Langi arrived at the next home, in Hillsborough, at 7.31pm in a second stolen vehicle. Khalid Naser Slaimankhel appears in the High Court at Auckland in 2015. Photo / Jason Oxenham Meyer got out of the vehicle and began knocking on the door aggressively. Langi did not go up to the door with him, but he was charged with the same offence for having aided or encouraged the crime. Those inside the home had been eating upstairs, and a man yelled that he was coming down. Meyer opened fire as the man opened the door, with the bullets lodging in the door as the victim attempted to shut it. 'Mr Meyer placed his foot in the door to attempt to keep it open but [the victim] managed to push the door closed, and locked it, before attempting to run up the stairs away from the defendant,' police noted in the summaries of facts for both men. Meyer then walked to the front entrance window and aimed three more shots at the fleeing man – one of them grazing him in the back. Less than 15 minutes later, the second stolen vehicle was set alight at nearby Nash Rd Reserve. Police caught up to Meyer and Langi at 8.07pm that day after spotting them in a third stolen vehicle near the reserve. Gunshot residue was found in the vehicle and on both men's clothing, authorities said. The family of Comancheros member Khalid Slaimankhel was targeted after he tried to leave the gang. 'The defendant Langi declined to comment to most questions, [but] when confronted with the gunshot residue evidence he stated that it was 'bullshit' and police must have made that up,' court documents state. The duo could face up to 14 years' imprisonment for arson and up to seven years for discharging a firearm with reckless disregard. 'The shooting and related arson of the getaway vehicle was part of a co-ordinated attack to target members of Mr Slaimankhel's wider family that Mr Meyer and Mr Langi were a key part of,' the summaries of facts state. Good family, tragic past Slaimankhel, formerly a Dunedin bodybuilder, was also found guilty in 2015 of kidnapping a fellow bodybuilder and perverting the course of justice. He came from a good family, his lawyer said at his 2022 Auckland District Court sentencing on drug trafficking charges. Lawyer Mark Ryan said at the time his client turned to drugs and gangs after his father was killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. Khalid Naser Slaimankhel in a bodybuilding competition. Dr Hashem Slaimankhel had been a physician in Afghanistan and Pakistan before arriving in New Zealand in 1998 and taking on a role as a refugee health worker. His advocacy made enough of an impact in New Zealand that police publicly praised the 'dedicated and deeply respected community leader' after his death in January 2018. The elder Slaimankhel was among the nearly 100 people killed when an ambulance with a bomb inside detonated at a police checkpoint in Kabul. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the massacre. At his 2022 sentencing, the younger Slaimankhel told Judge Evangelos Thomas he wanted to leave gang life behind him. Prosecutors voiced some scepticism but acknowledged the goal was a worthy one if genuine. 'It's going to take an awful amount of work to make sure that is carried through,' Crown prosecutor Jacob Barry said. The judge agreed, turning to Slaimankhel's family and supporters, who filled the courtroom gallery, after the defendant was led away to begin serving his sentence. He encouraged them to continue supporting him. 'If people aren't working hard around him, he's going to be straight into that [gang] environment,' the judge said. 'This work is really only beginning now.' Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
21-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Comanchero nominee Elijah Meyer pleads guilty to shooting inside two Auckland houses
He will face up to 14 years' imprisonment for the arson charge and up to seven years for the shootings when he is sentenced in August. As a nominee, Meyer held the lowest position in the Australia-based bikie gang, which opened a New Zealand chapter in 2018. Not yet allowed to wear a full patch, he and other prospects would have been expected to do 'mandatory menial tasks to serve senior patched members of the organisation, as well as unlawful or violent acts to assess their subservience and allegiance to the clubs', according to the summary of facts that Meyer agreed to. One such task ended up being to stake out the homes of Slaimankhel's extended family, then later to target them with violence. 'Mr Slaimankhel recently sought to leave the Comancheros and was ordered to pay his way out in order to leave the gang, which he did not do,' authorities said of the gang's new ill will towards the member. 'These events were a targeted retribution intended to deliver a message to Mr Slaimankhel.' Investigators would later find notes and photos on Meyer's phone of people and vehicles he saw outside addresses associated with Slaimankhel's family. Authorities said he used a long-barrelled gun to fire three shots into the first home, in Epsom, about 7pm on August 25, 2023. 'One of the fired projectiles went through the wooden window frame of the master bedroom at the front of the house, causing the interior of the window frame to chip off,' court documents state. 'At the time of the shooting there were eight occupants within the house, including three young children playing in the master bedroom that was shot at.' Thirteen minutes later, after fleeing the scene, the stolen car he had arrived at the house in was torched. Meyer arrived at the next home, in Hillsborough, at 7.31pm in a second stolen vehicle and began knocking on the door aggressively. Those inside the home had been eating upstairs. Meyer's victim yelled out that he was coming down, then opened the door to find a man in a balaclava holding a firearm. 'Mr Meyer immediately fired two shots in the direction of the front door,' court documents state. 'The shots fired were at close range and were aimed at the front door and were lodged in the door due to [the resident's] attempts to close it. 'Mr Meyer placed his foot in the door to attempt to keep it open but [the victim] managed to push the door closed, and locked it, before attempting to run up the stairs away from the defendant.' Meyer then walked to the front entrance window and aimed three more shots at the fleeing man – one of them grazing him in the back. Less than 15 minutes later, the second stolen vehicle was set alight at nearby Nash Rd Reserve. Police caught up to Meyer at 8.07pm that same day after spotting him in a third stolen vehicle near the reserve. Gunshot residue was found in the vehicle and on Meyer's clothing, authorities said. 'The shooting and related arson of the getaway vehicle was part of a co-ordinated attack to target members of Mr Slaimankhel's wider family that Mr Meyer was a key part of,' the summary of facts states. Slaimankhel, formerly a Dunedin bodybuilder, was also found guilty in 2015 of kidnapping a fellow bodybuilder and perverting the course of justice. He came from a good family, his lawyer said at his 2022 Auckland District Court sentencing on drug trafficking charges. Lawyer Mark Ryan said at the time his client turned to drugs and gangs after his father was killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. Dr Hashem Slaimankhel had been a physician in Afghanistan and Pakistan before arriving in New Zealand in 1998 and taking on a role as a refugee health worker. His advocacy made enough of an impact on New Zealand that police issued a press release praising the 'dedicated and deeply respected community leader' soon after his death in January 2018. The elder Slaimankhel was among the nearly 100 people killed when an ambulance with a bomb inside detonated at a police checkpoint in Kabul. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the massacre. At his 2022 sentencing, the younger Slaimankhel told Judge Evangelos Thomas he wanted to leave gang life behind him. Prosecutors voiced some scepticism but acknowledged the goal was a worthy one if genuine. 'It's going to take an awful amount of work to make sure that is carried through,' Crown prosecutor Jacob Barry said. The judge agreed, turning to Slaimankhel's family and supporters, who filled the courtroom gallery, after the defendant was led away to begin serving his sentence. He encouraged them to continue supporting him. 'If people aren't working hard around him, he's going to be straight into that [gang] environment,' the judge said. 'This work is really only beginning now.'
