Thomastown, Melbourne: Notorious underworld figure Sam ‘the Punisher’ Abdulrahim linked to house targeted in firebombing
The arson attack on a house linked to a notorious underworld figure is one of a series of arson attacks being investigated in Melbourne.
Firefighters were called to a house in Larch Street, Thomastown, in the north of the city, at around 3am on Monday morning.
Flames were visible from the two-story home. 29 firefighters were on scene to contain the fire, confined to the two bedrooms at the front of the first floor.
The property is said to be linked to underworld figure, former Mongols bikini and professional boxer Suleiman ‘Sam’ Abdulrahim.
There was no one in the house at the time and the police are investigating the fire. There is a suspicious situation.
Police were called to Larch Street in May for a drive-by shooting and a failed attempt on Mr. Abdulrahim’s life. It was the second attempt on his life.
Detectives will investigate whether there is a link with the firebombing of a hairdresser in Port Melbourne on Monday morning.
Emergency services were called to a house in Larch Street, Thomastown, in Melbourne’s north (pictured) at around 3am on Monday after flames were seen coming from the property
At around 1:30 a.m., a Porsche SUV was driven into the store on Bay Street and the store was set on fire.
The car and the store were destroyed by the fire.
A resident above the store escaped from the building and was not injured, but two small children from a neighboring house were taken to hospital for possible smoke inhalation.
Police have learned that someone was seen running away from the crime scene.
Melbourne’s long-running tobacco shop arson campaign also appears set to continue. At around 6am, a shop was set alight in Cairnlea in Melbourne’s north-west.
“Detectives will look into possible connections with other recent fires,” police said.
There were also fires overnight in Richmond and Patterson Lakes, which police are treating as suspicious.
It is believed that a man set his own apartment on fire around 9:15 PM on Sunday evening, after which the fire spread to four others.
The 37-year-old was arrested at the scene and will be questioned in connection with the alleged arson.
The property is said to be linked to an underworld figure, former Mongolian bikie and professional boxer Suleiman ‘Sam’ Abdulrahim (pictured)
Several locations in Melbourne were set on fire in the early hours of Monday morning, including a hairdresser in Port Melbourne (pictured)
At approximately 1:20 a.m. Monday morning, an abandoned nursing home in Patterson Lakes went up in flames.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said she would not speculate on the cause of the fires when asked if it was only a matter of time before someone died from the repeated bombings.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” she told reporters on Monday.
“Let the Victoria Police do their job.”