The Taha Sabbagh Elite Fight Force gym shooting possibly linked to the death of Yusuf Nazlioglu

An underworld source claims the shooting of a father in front of his 12-year-old son at a western Sydney gym could be linked to the bikie killing by gangs last year.

Taha Sabbagh, 40, was shot outside the Elite Fight Force MMA gym in Sefton on March 2, as he was dropping off his son for a 6:30am boxing class.

Speculation about why the famous driver was targeted has been plagued by gruesome murders that came after six months of relative peace on the streets.

Underworld sources at first suspected that the cold-blooded attack might have been retaliation for a jeweler who was recently kidnapped and held for ransom, and the gym frequented by several gangsters was rumored to be involved.

Among them are high-ranking members of the Comanchero bikies and their allies, including the Alameddine and Mariam crime clans.

However, sources now believe the father’s death could be linked to a revenge plot for the death of Lone Wolf cyclist Yusuf Nazlioglu.

Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu (pictured with his wife Jade) was killed last June after reported conflicts with the Comanchero gang.

Underworld sources said Mr Sabbagh may have been killed in revenge for Nazlioglu’s death (Pictured detectives at the scene of Mr Sabbagh’s shooting last Thursday)

Nazlioglu (above) was once accused of killing a Comanchero president and reportedly had a disagreement with another senior member in the weeks before his death.

Nazlioglu was murdered in the car park of his Rhodes apartment block in June, just five months after he married his wife Jade.

Sabbagh was not known to police, but NSW Police Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said he “was associated with some people who are well known to police and have strong criminal activity connected to them.” .

“Immediately after the guys who shot at the gym thought it was retaliation for the kidnapping of (a Sydney jeweller) who had to hand over millions in cash, loads of cocaine and a watch worth millions,” a source said. in the middle. daily telegraph.

“But when CCTV went public, there were guys convinced that he was a Lone Wolf guy and that killing this guy was payback for ‘Youi’ (Yusuf Nazlioglu).”

Nazlioglu was once accused of murdering Comanchero gang president Mahmoud ‘Mick’ Hawi, who was shot outside a Rockdale gym in February 2018.

Nazlioglu also reportedly had a dispute with Hawi’s mother in the weeks leading up to her death.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that the jeweler or the Elite Fight Force are involved in criminal activity.

Sources also warned that Sabbagh’s death could spark a massive gang war between the Lone Wolf and Comanchero crews.

“There are different groups throwing cash for a war chest to hit back for this shooting,” they said.

Several key members of both sides of the apparent conflict have left Australia since the shooting unfolded on Thursday.

Mr Sabbagh (above) was not known to the police, but “was associated with some people who are well known to the police and have strong criminal activity associated with them.”

Mr Sabbagh is understood to have had connections to members of Comanchero, the gang linked to the Nazlioglu shooting (pictured is Nazlioglu’s black Mercedes after the shooting last June)

The kidnapped jeweler is believed to have moved to Dubai in the weeks after his release.

A high-ranking member of the Lone Wolf gang and a friend of Nazlioglu’s is also currently abroad.

Jilal Marium, who is rumored to be part of the Mariam gang, is also out of the country.

However, a police officer responded to the new theory by saying that ‘criminals’ can often create fake ‘fool**t’ scenarios around shootings to fuel tensions with other gangs.