Sydney Greenacre shooting: Eight arrested in 'horrific' botched 'hit' of innocent man in likely case of mistaken identity

Three alleged members of a major crime gang are expected to be charged with murder after a triple shooting described by police as a horrific case of mistaken identity.

Police on Wednesday arrested eight people they accused of being part of the Haouchar criminal syndicate following a five-month investigation into a botched gangland attack in Sydney's south-west.

Ahmed Al Azzam, 25, was found seriously injured in his parked car following an early morning public shooting on Mayvic Street, Greenacre on July 23.

He died in hospital four days later.

Two other people, a 22-year-old man Kaashif Richards and a 19-year-old woman Achiraya Jantharat, were injured in a separate car parked about 50 meters away.

The man suffered life-changing injuries to his spine after the two cars were peppered with bullets.

Detectives quickly determined that the killing was linked to the Haouchar gang, who they said carried out the attack in the belief that a rival gang, the Comanchero Bikies, was planning an ambush.

But all three victims were wrongly targeted and had no ties to the simmering feud.

NSW State Crime Command director Jason Weinstein said police were extremely motivated to track down those responsible for the shooting due to its callous nature.

“It is a heinous crime against innocent individuals… who were parked on a suburban street in Sydney minding their own business when they came under fire by individuals linked to an organized crime network,” he said .

Police say the gunmen made no effort to determine whether Mr Al Azzam or the other victims had links to the rival gang.

Ahmad Al Azzam, 25, (pictured) was killed in the alleged shooting while sitting in his parked car

“It could have been any of us in this room; every one of us in this state who was out there minding our own business,” said Chief Inspector Weinstein.

The Haouchar gang had since been largely dismantled, but the person who pulled the trigger during the shooting fled abroad and remains on the run in an unknown country, police said.

Eight people were arrested in simultaneous raids in Sydney and the Central Coast on Wednesday, four of whom were charged with the murder of Mr Al Azzam and the others faced various offenses linked to organized crime.

Among those arrested was a 24-year-old man, Marko Saric, who was taken into custody in Drummoyne, in Sydney's west, and is expected to be charged with murder for his alleged involvement in the shooting.

Another man, 40-year-old Ayman Manly, was arrested for allegedly being involved with the Haouchar gang, but he was not involved in the shootings.

Three other men Ammar Chahal, Seru Mar-Tavuaonono and Charlton Schaaffhausen were also arrested and police are expected to charge the trio over the shooting of Mr Al Azzam.

A 25-year-old man was arrested in Wattle Grove and a 21-year-old woman from Moorebank was also arrested, along with a man from Gorokan on the NSW Central Coast.

Two men, aged 25 and 39, were already in custody on other matters and were taken from Parklea Correctional Center and arrested at a local police station ahead of the expected murder charge.

The victims who had no ties to criminal groups were caught in the crossfire, police claim

Several others are likely to be charged with involvement in the criminal group, while a 27-year-old taken from a Wellington prison is expected to be charged with accessory before the fact of the murder.

While police believe the arrests and previous raids have eliminated many high-ranking members of the gang, alleged leader Bilal Haouchar remains abroad.

A NSW arrest warrant has been issued for him since he left the country in 2018 and he was arrested in Beirut in November.

Australia does not have an extradition treaty with Lebanon, complicating efforts to bring him to local courts.