Celebrity chauffeur Taha Sabbagh farewelled in emotional funeral at Lakemba Mosque

A famous driver who was shot in a hail of bullets in front of his young son has been said goodbye at an emotional funeral.

Mourners paid their respects to slain father Taha Sabbagh, 40, at 1pm Saturday at a service at Lakemba Mosque in southwest Sydney.

Sabbagh was shot dead outside the Elite Force gym on Carlingford Street in Sefton at about 6.30am on Thursday.

Family and friends comforted each other as the coffin containing the slain father was carried up the steps into the mosque two days later.

The coffin was carried back down a short time after the service, while the mourners joined in a solemn chant.

The coffin was then loaded into the back of a hearse that waited in the street before being taken to Rookwood Cemetery.

Several mourners were seen wiping their tears and hugging each other.

A single police car was parked across the road, while patrol cars raced up and down the road every few minutes.

The famous driver was drinking coffee while delivering his 12-year-old to the gym when at least two gunmen opened fire on the black Mercedes SUV.

Sabbagh wrapped his arms around his son who sat next to him in the passenger seat to shield him from the bullets.

The boy then ran to get help for his father, who died on the spot from a gunshot wound.

Police said the shooting had the hallmarks of a “targeted organized crime killing” and that while Sabbagh was not well known to police, he mingled in underworld circles.

They are still investigating whether the fatal shooting was related to Sabbagh’s associations and are not ruling out the possibility that it was a case of mistaken identity.

The gym boasts members of the notorious Haouchar and Mariam families, while co-owner ‘Bones’ Adam Omar, also known as Boxa Yass, is an associate of the Comancheros biker gang, 7News reports.

The Mariams and Haouchars work with the notorious Alameddine crime network, which has been linked to drug syndicates across Sydney and bloody conflicts against the rival clan, the Hamzys.

According to 7News, gym co-owner and professional fighter Hany Sbat and his brother Omar are driving similar cars to Sabbagh, and underworld sources believe they could be the intended targets.

Sabbagh’s friends are convinced he was shot in a mistaken identity.

“We believe that while he (Sabbagh) was relatively not well known to the police, he was associated with people who are well known to the police,” said NSW Police Superintendent Danny Doherty.

“We believe this is a targeted attack, it is not random – the style of execution – it bears the hallmarks of an organized crime murder.

“It was callous and brutal and (the shooter) had little regard for human life.”

“Relatives of the victim also have connections with that gym and therefore the circumstances lend themselves to a targeted attack.”

The boy was not physically injured, but left very traumatized.

“It is appalling that a 12-year-old had to witness his father’s death in this way,” said Det Supt Doherty.

Detectives believe they are on the hunt for two gunmen who used a Mazda 3 as a getaway car before it was later found burnt out in the nearby suburb of Birrong.

Police spent most of Thursday at the crime scene and visited Sabbagh’s home later in the afternoon as part of their investigation.

The shooting ends a six-month ceasefire since the last gangland murder when Lametta Fadlallah and Amneh al-Hazouri were killed in a drive-by shooting in Revesby.

Facebook page Request Dua – designed to solicit prayers from Sydney’s Muslim community, remembered Sabbagh as a ‘loving son, brother, father, husband’.

“It is with great sadness and shock that we announce that our beloved brother Taha Sabbagh has returned to his Creator,” one post read.

“He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Please remember our loved ones and family and loved ones in your Dua. We ask Allah to comfort his family, wife and children during this test.’

Mr Sabbagh’s uncle, Nasser Sabbagh, told Daily Mail Australia that the driver of a luxury car wrapped his arms around his son to protect him when he was shot.

“Why do people kill other people?” he asked. ‘He’s a good man. Silent man. No criminal record. He goes to work. Spends time with his children.’

Another family member said he wanted Mr. Sabbagh to be remembered as a ‘father, brother, uncle and cousin’.

The proud dad’s latest social media post on Wednesday night showed his 12-year-old boy practicing punching, blocking and dodging with a trainer.

A witness heard at least six shots and the sound of a car driving away. The Mazda 3 was later found burnt out at nearby Birrong railway station.

Paramedics desperately tried to revive Mr. Sabbagh, who was a regular at the MMA gym.

Later that afternoon, family and friends flocked to Mr. Sabbagh’s house to come to terms with his death.

The small residential street was teeming with cars as loved ones arrived to pay their respects before comforting each other and departing.

There were two white marquees in the driveway, under which men and women sat on the many plastic chairs scattered across the front yard.

Distressed loved ones hugged and comforted each other as they gathered in separate groups and took to the streets.

A man dabbed his face with a tissue, while a woman put her arm around another woman’s shoulder as they walked toward the house.