It was the two incidents in the space of a month that shocked Sydney: the brazen daylight shooting of a father in front of his son, and the alleged six-day kidnapping of a man where his teeth were knocked out.
And in a chilling coincidence, both have ties to the Elite Fight Force MMA training gym in Sefton, southwest of Sydney.
Notorious driver Taha Sabbagh was killed outside the gym on March 2 as he was dropping off his son to train.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Timothy Bowyer, who was allegedly injured during the kidnapping of his sister’s boyfriend Peter Vuong, of Smithfield, regularly trained at the gym.
Police will allege that six men forced their way into the family home of Tim Bowyer (pictured), wounded him and kidnapped his brother-in-law.
Peter Vuong, 26, and his glamorous and influential girlfriend, Angel Bowyer (above, together) were sleeping at her family’s home in Smithfield when they allegedly abducted him at gunpoint and took him to a squalid house 20 km and tortured him.
Bowyer trains with the Elite Fight Force in Sefton, which was at the center of a gang shootout earlier this month.
However, although both Bowyer and Sabbagh are linked to the gym, Daily Mail Australia understands that police believe the alleged attacks are unrelated and are treating them as separate matters.
“There is no evidence to suggest that there is a link to any of the incidents,” a police spokesman said.
“Investigations are ongoing into both incidents.”
Several videos posted online show Mr. Bowyer, who is an amateur boxer, training in the gym.
Just six weeks ago, he shared a clip showing a sparring match with a gym buddy inside one of the boxing rings, captioning the post: “Sharpening the tools.”
Bowyer is also followed on Instagram by Elite Fight Force owners Adam Omar aka ‘Boxa Yass’ and Hany Sbat who were friends of Sabbagh’s.
Mr. Omar seems to be a big supporter of Mr. Bowyer’s fitness goals, frequently liking or commenting on his posts.
The Bowyer family home in Smithfield where Vuong was allegedly abducted while he was sleeping with his influencer girlfriend Angel Bowyer in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Mr. Vuong (left) was rescued by police after six days after police said his alleged kidnappers demanded $5 million from high-flying cryptocurrency trader Tran Dinh (right), a relative of Mr. Vuong’s girlfriend Vuong, Angel Bowyer.
Police arrest one of Mr. Vuong’s suspected kidnappers after a multi-day undercover operation to rescue the 26-year-old from torture.
The squalid house where Peter Vuong was taken and allegedly held for six days while members of the extortion gang ‘forced his teeth out’ with pliers.
Police will allege Bowyer was injured when a group of men broke into his family’s sprawling Smithfield home around 5:20 a.m. Thursday to kidnap his brother-in-law.
Mr Voung, 26, was lying in bed with his TikTok star girlfriend when six men allegedly wearing face coverings and wielding sledgehammers and pistols broke into the house and took him to a decrepit property on Canterbury Road, Belmore.
They then allegedly covered her face and pulled out her teeth with pliers as the men demanded that Ms. Bowyer’s high-flying cryptocurrency trading relative, Tran Dinh, pay a $5 million ransom for her safe return.
Mr. Vuong was rescued by dozens of heavily armed tactical police officers who raided the property on Tuesday with flash grenades. When they entered, they allegedly found him blindfolded in a bed, and his teeth and bloody pliers in another room.
Six men were arrested nearby a short time later. They have been charged and are currently before the courts.
Detectives are investigating whether the alleged attack was carried out in retaliation for a drug deal gone bad between one of Mr. Vuong’s associates and the accused criminals.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting any wrongdoing on behalf of Mr Vuong, the Bowyers, Tran Dinh or any of their relatives.
Care contracting entrepreneur 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 burned at the nearby Birrong railway station.
As detectives now investigate whether Mr Vuong, who has no criminal record except for minor traffic offences, may have been the wrong target of the alleged kidnapping, the homicide squad is on the hunt for Mr Sabbagh’s killers.
The luxury car businessman was taking his son to the 6:30 a.m. boxing class at Elite Fight Force earlier this month when two men ambushed him in the parking lot.
The callous criminals 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. He later found a burnt-out white Mazda 3 at the nearby Birrong railway station.
Underworld sources have claimed that Sabbagh’s death was a case of mistaken identity or possibly retribution for the kidnapping and torture of a jeweler held for a $10 million ransom last October.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that Mr Sabbagh was behind the kidnapping, but it is understood that his murder could have been a “red flag” for criminal gang members, some of whom train at the Elite Fight Force gym.
It is not suggested that Mr. Sbat or Mr. Omar are 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 before Parramatta Local Court on charges. related to the alleged kidnapping and torture.
Fahamokioa was granted bail under strict conditions, while the other five men remained in custody.
The six will face court again on May 10.
