It was the two incidents in the space of a month that shocked Sydney: the brutal daylight shooting of a father in front of his son, and the alleged six-day kidnapping of a man with his teeth ripped out.
And by a chilling coincidence, both have ties to the Elite Fight Force MMA training school in Sefton, Sydney’s southwest.
Celebrity driver Taha Sabbagh was killed in front of the gym on March 2 as he dropped his son off for training.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Timothy Bowyer – who was reportedly injured during the kidnapping of his sister’s boyfriend Peter Vuong from Smithfield – regularly worked out at the gym.
Police will claim six men forcefully entered Tim Bowyer’s (pictured) family home, injured him and kidnapped his brother-in-law
Peter Vuong, 26, and his glamorous influencer girlfriend Angel Bowyer (above, together) were sleeping at her family’s home in Smithfield when he was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint and taken to a filthy house 12 miles away and tortured
Bowyer trains with Elite Fight Force in Sefton, which was the focus of a gang shooting earlier this month
While both Mr Bowyer and Mr Sabbagh are linked to the fitness centre, Daily Mail Australia understands that the police believe the alleged attacks are unrelated and are treating them as separate cases.
“There is no indication that there is any connection to either incident,” a police spokesperson said.
“Investigations are underway into both incidents.”
Several videos posted online show Mr. Bowyer, an amateur boxer, exercising at the fitness center.
Just six weeks ago, he shared a video of sparring with a fellow athlete in one of the boxing rings, with the caption: “Sharpening the tools.”
Mr. Bowyer is also followed on Instagram by Elite Fight Force owners – Adam Omar, aka ‘Boxa Yass’, and Hany Sbat – who were both friends of Mr. Sabbagh.
Mr Omar seems to be a big supporter of Mr Bowyer’s fitness goals, often liking or commenting on his posts.
The Bowyer family’s Smithfield home where Vuong was reportedly kidnapped while sleeping next to his influencer girlfriend Angel Bowyer in the early hours of last Thursday
Mr Vuong (left) was rescued by police six days later after police said his alleged kidnappers demanded $5 million from high-flying crypto trader Tran Dinh (right), a relative of Mr Vuong’s girlfriend, Angel Bowyer
Police arrest one of Mr Vuong’s alleged kidnappers after a days-long sting operation was launched to save the 26-year-old from his torture
The squalid house where Peter Vuong was taken and reportedly held for six days as his teeth were ‘forcibly’ removed with pliers by members of the racketeering gang
Police say Bowyer was injured when a group of men stormed into his family’s sprawling home in Smithfield at around 5:20 a.m. Thursday to kidnap his brother-in-law.
Voung, 26, was in bed with his TikTok star girlfriend when six men reportedly wearing face coverings and wielding sledgehammers and guns burst into the house and took him to a derelict property on Canterbury Road, Belmore.
His face was then reportedly covered and his teeth pulled out with pliers as the men demanded that Ms Bowyer’s high-flying crypto trader relative – Tran Dinh – pay a $5 million ransom for his safe return.
Mr Vuong was rescued by dozens of heavily armed tactical police officers who raided the premises with flash grenades on Tuesday. When they entered, they reportedly found him blindfolded on a bed, and his teeth and bloody pliers in another room.
A short time later, six men were arrested nearby. They have been charged and are currently in court.
Detectives are investigating whether the alleged attack was carried out in retaliation when a drug deal went wrong between one of Mr Vuong’s associates and the accused offenders.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting any wrongdoing on behalf of Mr Vuong, the Bowyers, Tran Dinh or any of their relatives.
Businessman Taha Sabbagh, 40, (pictured with social media celebrity Hasbulla Magomedov) was executed outside Elite Fight Force, in Sefton, on Thursday
Police tape surrounded the boxing center on March 2 after the father was shot in the parking lot
The Mazda 3 used in the shooting was later found burnt out at nearby Birrong railway station
While detectives are now investigating whether Mr Vuong – who has no criminal record other than minor traffic offenses – may have been the wrong target in the alleged kidnapping, the detectives are on the hunt for Mr Sabbagh’s killers.
The luxury car businessman was taking his son to early 6:30am boxing class at Elite Fight Force earlier this month when he was ambushed by two men in the parking lot.
The callous offenders shot the father-of-three up to ten times in front of his 12-year-old son as he sat in the driver’s seat of his black Mercedes SUV before fleeing the scene. A white Mazda 3 was later found burnt out at Birrong railway station nearby.
Underworld sources have claimed Mr Sabbagh’s death was a case of mistaken identity or possibly retaliation for the kidnapping and torture of a jeweler who was held last October for a ransom of $10 million.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that Mr Sabbagh was behind the kidnapping, but it is clear his murder may have served as a ‘warning signal’ to criminal gang members, some of whom train at the Elite Fight Force gym.
There is no suggestion that Mr. Sbat or Mr. Omar is involved in any criminal activity or that the jeweller, who is currently abroad, is involved in any criminal activity or the murder of Mr. Sabbagh.
Meanwhile, Viliami Siasau, 19, Valali Tonga, 20, Sunia Siasau, 20, and John Totau Fahamokioa, 20, faced Bankstown Local Court on Wednesday, while Lolo Liavaa, 19, and Kitueau Tatafu, 21 each appeared in Parramatta Local Court due to charges. in connection with the alleged kidnapping and torture.
Fahamokioa was released on bail under strict conditions, while the other five men were taken into custody.
All six will face court again on May 10.