Underworld figure Bilal Hamze has been farewelled at a funeral in Sydney’s southwest days after he was gunned down in the CBD.
Mourners wearing hoodies and face masks carried Hamze’s bright green coffin into Lakemba mosque on Wednesday morning amid a strong police presence.
See Bilal Hamze’s final moments in the video player above
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The 34-year-old was sprayed with bullets on Thursday night, opposite the Australian stock exchange, as he left an upmarket Japanese restaurant in what police described as a “brutal execution-style murder”.
He was rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital, where he died.
The ceremonial preparation of Hamze’s body was undertaken before the coffin was taken into the mosque for Salat al-Janazah, the Islamic funeral prayer.
A police strike force is investigating whether the murder is related to ongoing tensions between the rival Hamzy and Alameddines families.
Hamze’s mother Maha, who was shot in her legs in 2013 and whose home was again sprayed with bullets in February, attended the funeral.
Ahmed Elomar, the brother of slain Australian ISIS jihadist Mohamed Elomar, also attended the service.
Hamze’s cousin and founder of the Brothers For Life gang Bassam Hamzy remains in Goulburn Supermax prison, where he has spent most of his adult life for murder and drug-related convictions.
Hamzy’s brother Mejid died in the driveway of his southwestern Sydney home last October after he was shot by two balaclava-clad gunmen.
Hamze will be buried at Rookwood cemetery.
Bilal Hamze executed in the heart of Sydney
Dramatic pictures obtained by 7NEWS show the moment bystanders rushed to revive the notorious gangster seconds after he was shot - and left to die on the street - in what was believed to be a million dollar hit.
The few who had stopped can be seen huddling around as a gangland figure lays dying in the heart of the city. They called for help, but the crime boss died a short time later at St Vincent’s Hospital.
CCTV footage shows the moment a passenger in a black Audi shoots Hamze in a drive-by, before looping around and shooting him again.
The car was found destroyed about 8km away later on Thursday night.
Just hours later, police moved to quash any possible retaliation.
The homes of senior figures of the rival Hamzy and Alameddine families were raided by officers.
Crime family feud
The ongoing feud between Sydney’s Hamze and Alameddine crime families stretches back years.
In 2013, Hamze’s mother Maha was shot in the legs through the door of her western Sydney home but survived.
The shooting was sparked by a debt recovery fee feud between her son and another man.
Her home was shot up again last October and on the same day, Hamze’s cousin Mejid Hamzy was shot dead at his Condell Park home.
Detectives from the NSW Police State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad have established Strike Force Englorie to investigate the death.
Detective Superintendent Rob Critchlow said the full brunt of the law would be brought down on those involved in the killing.
“We will be using all our skills and resources to make sure every criminal in Sydney that has any inkling of this offence, any involvement in their crimes, any involvement in their business, will be suffering the attention from our squads.”
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