Elite Fight Force gym shooting of Taha Sabbagh possibly linked to death of Yusuf Nazlioglu

An underworld source claims the shooting of a father in front of his 12-year-old son at a western Sydney gym may be linked to Bikie’s gangland murder last year.

Taha Sabbagh, 40, was gunned down outside the Elite Fight Force MMA gym in Sefton on March 2 as he dropped his son off for a 6:30am boxing class.

Speculation abounds as to why the famous driver was the target of the grisly murder after six months of relative calm on the streets.

Underworld sources initially suspected the cold-blooded attack might be retaliation for a jeweler who had recently been kidnapped and held for ransom, while the gym was frequented by a number of underworld figures.

Among them are high-ranking members of the Comanchero biker gang and their allies, including the Alameddine and Mariam crime clans.

However, underworld sources now believe the father’s death may be related to a revenge plot for the death of Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu.

Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu (pictured with his wife Jade) was killed last June after reported conflicts with the Comanchero gang

Underworld sources said Mr Sabbagh could have been killed in revenge for Nazlioglu’s death (pictured, detectives at the scene of Mr Sabbagh’s shooting last Thursday)

Nazlioglu (above) was once accused of assassinating a Comanchero president and reportedly had a disagreement with another senior member in the weeks before his death

Nazlioglu was murdered in June in the parking lot of his Rhodes apartment building – just five months after marrying his wife Jade.

Mr Sabbagh was not known to police, but NSW Police Detective Danny Doherty said he was ‘associated with a number of people who are well known to the police and have strong criminal activity associated with them ‘.

“Right after the gunmen at the gym thought it was retaliation for the kidnapping of (a Sydney jeweler) who was handed over millions in cash, mounds of cocaine and a watch worth millions,” a source told the Daily telegram.

“But when the CCTV footage became public, there were guys who were convinced it was a Lone Wolf guy and killing this guy was all about getting revenge for ‘Youi’ (Yusuf Nazlioglu).”

Nazlioglu was once charged with the murder of Comanchero gang president Mahmoud ‘Mick’ Hawi, who was gunned down outside a gym in Rockdale in February 2018.

Nazlioglu also reportedly had a dispute with Hawi’s mother in the weeks before his death.

Daily Mail Australia does not suggest that the jeweler or Elite Fight Force are involved in any criminal activity.

Sources have also warned that Mr Sabbagh’s death could spark a massive gang war between the Lone Wolf and Comanchero crews.

“There are several groups that are throwing money into a war chest to hit back over this shooting,” they said.

Several key figures from both sides of the apparent conflict have left Australia since Thursday’s shooting.

Mr Sabbagh (above) was not known to the police but ‘was associated with a number of people who are well known to the police and have strong criminal activity associated with them’

It is clear that Mr. Sabbagh had connections to Comanchero members – the gang linked to Nazlioglu’s shooting (pictured, Nazlioglu’s black Mercedes after last June’s shooting)

The kidnapped jeweler is said to have moved to Dubai in the weeks following his release.

A senior member of the Lone Wolf gang and friend of Nazlioglu is also currently abroad.

Jilal Marium, who is said to be part of the Mariam gang, is also out of the country.

However, a police officer responded to the new theory by saying that “crooks” can often create false shooting scenarios to stir up tensions with other gangs.