New ‘Lone Wolves’ group at centre of violent Sydney gang conflict

A group calling itself the “Lone Wolves” is at the centre a new outbreak of violence in western Sydney that could signal the reignition of a violent gangland conflict.

The new group, purporting to be aligned with the Brothers For Life gang and the Lone Wolf outlaw motorcycle gang, this week came to the attention of anti-gang police after claiming credit for the firebombing of a Wetherill Park towing business linked to the notorious Alameddine crime family.

Video of Tuesday’s attack shows several men in face coverings, gloves and dark clothing breaking into WP Towing about 4am, before pouring petrol throughout the business, setting it alight and fleeing in a black Range Rover. Police allege two gunshots were fired inside the property, which was also the target of a drive-by shooting in November.

In footage of the attack, the Lone Wolves claimed it was “the end of the road” for the Alameddine family, declaring a “force of pressure your OCN [organised crime network] has never experienced before”.

The footage, shared with SCN Worldstar, an independent media channel focused on Sydney’s underworld, made what appears to be a reference to the Brothers for Life gang and the Lone Wolf outlaw motorcycle gang.

“BFL X WOLVES”, the video’s caption read.

Among the stated targets of the Wetherill Park attack was family patriarch, Rafat Alameddine, who left Australia for Lebanon several years ago, according to communications received by SCN Worldstar. Rafat, along with senior members of the Alameddine network’s leadership, fled australia amid increasing police scrutiny.

Brothers for Life – also known as Brothers 4 Life and B4L – was founded by members of the Hamzy family, which for years was embroiled in a violent conflict with the Alameddine family for control of Sydney’s illicit drug trade.

On Thursday morning, two men allegedly linked to the Alameddine network allegedly torched the Royal Blends Barbershop in Warwick Farm in apparent retaliation for Tuesday’s attack. The network claimed credit for the attack, SCN Worldstar said.

SCN Worldstar had earlier credited the Lone Wolves with Thursday’s attack, for which the Alameddine network has since claimed credit.

Footage of the attack, filmed outside the barbershop about 2.20am on Thursday and shared with SCN Worldstar, shows two men in dark hoodies dash from the shopfront as it is engulfed in flames. The men allegedly crashed a car into the shop before igniting the fire. As they return to a getaway car before fleeing the scene, one man is heard asking, “Are you recording?”

The business’ shopfront was destroyed in the attack. No one associated with the barbershop is accused of any wrongdoing. When contacted by this masthead, a barber at Royal Blends said he had “no idea” why the shop was targeted. Police have established a crime scene at the barbershop and are appealing to the public for information about the incident.

A message attached to the video of the firebombing said the attack targeted high-profile underworld figure Anthony Pele, who is believed to be hiding overseas after his alleged roles in shootings and criminal plots across Sydney.

Pele, whose associates are also being targeted, is alleged to be a senior member of the self-proclaimed Coconut Cartel, an emerging syndicate that earlier this year declared war on the Alameddine crime network and has been involved in several tit-for-tat incidents with the group.

The attacks could signal a renewal of the conflict that sparked the establishment of 100-strong police taskforce at the height of the violence earlier this year.

NSW Police’s anti-gangs Raptor Squad, which probed the months-long feud between the Coconut Cartel and the Alameddine network under Strike Force Halesowen, is investigating Tuesday’s attack.

Detectives are working to determine if the recent attacks are linked to the conflict and the role of the Lone Wolves in Sydney’s underworld. It is not yet clear if the Lone Wolves are associated with the Brothers for Life gang or the Lone Wolf outlaw motorcycle gang or have adopted a similar name unrelated to the existing groups.

Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app.

CLARIFICATION

SCN Worldstar earlier reported that the Lone Wolves were responsible for both attacks.