A year after a brazen daylight shooting at a Sydney kebab shop, a 31-year-old man has been arrested and charged with multiple offenses, including three counts of shooting with intent to murder. The incident on June 16 of last year saw three people critically injured when two masked individuals opened fire inside a busy eatery in the western Sydney suburb of Auburn.
Detectives allege the shooters were targeting Samimjan Azari, a 26-year-old identified in media reports as a senior member of the Alameddine criminal network, who had previously survived multiple shootings. Azari sustained wounds to his shoulder and arm during the attack. Also injured were a 25-year-old man accompanying Azari, who was shot in the head, and a 47-year-old female employee of the restaurant, who was shot multiple times in the torso and arm. All three have since been released from hospital, though the woman and the 25-year-old man are expected to face long-term complications from their injuries.
Following the shooting, three vehicles were discovered burned out in different locations across Sydney, which police believe were used by the perpetrators. The arrested 31-year-old man was refused police bail and was scheduled to appear in court on Saturday. Authorities have confirmed that a second alleged shooter involved in the attack died overseas last year.
The investigation was led by Taskforce Falcon, a unit formed in May 2025 comprising approximately 100 investigators and 50 other officers. The taskforce was established in response to a series of shootings linked to conflicts between rival criminal gangs, aiming to curb gun violence in the city.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns condemned the incident, describing it as a "horrifying, violent chapter in the state's history" that demands the "full force of the law." In response to the shooting, Attorney-General Michael Daley indicated a review of bail conditions for individuals like Azari, who was on bail at the time of the incident. Minns emphasized that police had been provided with all necessary resources to apprehend those responsible.