A meticulously coordinated group of professional assassins orchestrated the swift execution of Sam ‘The Punisher’ Abdulrahim with less than a day to plan. The incident unfolded at the underground car park of the Quest Hotel in Preston, located in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, on January 28 of last year.

Details have emerged revealing that the hit squad was armed with crucial insider information about Abdulrahim’s schedule just hours before the attack. The urgency of the operation was sparked by the revelation that Abdulrahim intended to flee the country the day following his assassination.

Despite the tight timeline, the four-member team demonstrated remarkable efficiency. They had strategically positioned three stolen getaway vehicles, each equipped with petrol cans, across three different suburbs, spaced 30 minutes apart.

While the assassins were aware of Abdulrahim’s presence at the hotel, they faced uncertainty regarding his exit route. Would he leave via the street-level exit or opt for the underground car park where the fatal encounter eventually took place?

To carry out their plan, the gunmen likely waited with tense anticipation in the shadows of the car park. Their patient vigil paid off when Abdulrahim descended in the elevator, unwittingly stepping into the lethal trap that awaited him.

The gunmen would have had to wait patiently undetected in the car park before Abdulrahim took the 30-second elevator ride down to his parlay with murder.

Abdulrahim, 32, was killed in a hail of bullets while the girlfriend he was with at the time survived virtually unscathed. It is not suggested that the girlfriend had any involvement in the shooting.

Most who live in Melbourne’s inner city know that these secure underground car parks aren’t too secure and access can be as easy as simply walking through while the security gates are up.

Sam ‘The Punisher’ Abdulrahim was gunned down on January 28, 2024

Somehow the crew knew Abdulrahim would be at the Preston hotel but how would he exit the complex was the question

The assassins made it to the getaway vehicle, a stolen Porsche SUV which sped 1.4 kilometres north to Alexandra Street, a dead-end in Reservoir 

Hiding or loitering in the car park without arousing suspicion would have been a major challenge.

Quest Preston is a five-storey, 79-room hotel and a 21-apartment residential complex, which offers a ‘full security building with swipe access to all entries and lift’.

As with most Melbourne apartment complexes, a key card, key or buzz-in from staff or residents is needed to enter the lobby.

All entries and the underground car park are extensively covered by CCTV cameras, but Victoria Police has yet to release any footage or stills of the incident, the lead-up or the getaway.

A hotel employee heard the shots, then called police, but the assassins would have already initiated their exit strategy from the scene. 

The killers could have run up the stairwell to the emergency exit leading to an above-ground car park, or opened the roller door, waiting for it to rise high enough to escape.

It’s very likely the assassination was caught on CCTV, with cameras positioned in the garage for blanket coverage. 

The assassins made it to the getaway vehicle, a stolen Porsche SUV which sped 1.4 kilometres north to Alexandra Street, a dead-end in Reservoir.

A Victoria Police homicide detective told the Daily Mail they were still investigating the murder 

Abdulrahim had been living overseas as he attempted to elude his enemies, but for some reason he returned to Australia for only a couple of days before planning to leave the country again 

The Porsche was reversed through an access fence into a public water reservoir where it was torched

The Porsche was reversed through an access fence into a public water reservoir. where it was torched.

The hit crew then switched into a strategically positioned Ford Ranger, which they drove for about 25-30 minutes to vacant land along Western Avenue, Westmeadows, where it was also found torched.

The third getaway vehicle used has never been publicly identified by Victoria Police. 

Very few people knew Abdulrahim, who was marked with a $1 million contract on his head, would be at that Preston complex on that day.

The Punisher was extremely vigilant: 17 bullets fired at him in May 2024 missed, while in 2022 he survived being shot eight times at a funeral.

Abdulrahim had been living overseas as he attempted to elude his enemies but for some reason he returned to Australia for only a couple of days before planning to leave the country again. 

Exiled tobacco kingpin Kazem ‘Kaz’ Hamad, who was arrested in Iraq last week, was the prime suspect in ordering the hit on Abdulrahim.

A Victoria Police homicide detective told the Daily Mail they were still investigating the murder.

The Punisher was extremely vigilant after 17 bullets fired at him in May 2024 all missed while in 2022 he was shot eight times outside a funeral but survived

Exiled tobacco kingpin Kazem ‘Kaz’ Hamad, who was arrested in Iraq last week, was the prime suspect in ordering the hit on Abdulrahim

Abdulrahim was buried the week of his murder but in recent months his family has erected a black marble shrine at his grave site 

Athan Boursinos, a suspect in Abdulrahim’s murder, was gunned down in Melbourne’s north in July last year.

Boursinos was shot dead as he was climbing into his BMW in the lane behind his Wollert home. 

Boursinos, wearing a suit, was on his way to Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court for charges including drug and weapon possession, theft, and driving offences.

A witness claimed a person approached Boursinos and the pair had angry words before gunshots rang out.

The 21-year-old was suspected by police and underworld sources of being one of the gunmen who ambushed Abdulrahim in the parking garage.

Boursinos belonged to Kaz Hamad’s crew. Retribution for his murder was expected, but nothing happened, reportedly because he had a falling out with the gang. 

It was later reported a hit team had been contracted out of Sydney to kill Boursinos.

Abdulrahim was buried the week of his murder but in recent months his family has erected a black marble shrine at his grave site.

Athan Boursinos, a suspect in Abdulrahim’s murder, was gunned down in Melbourne’s north in July last year

The plot includes a nearly six-foot tombstone decorated with photos and a gold-embossed silhouette of Abdulrahim in his boxing pose, accompanied by the words ‘The Punisher’.

The word ‘SUNA’, Abdulrahim’s nickname, also adorns the tombstone, which stands out amid the flat graves at Northern Memorial Park. 

Abdulrahim was buried next to old enemy Mahmoud Karam, who was also shot dead two months before.

Hamad, who is in custody in Iraq facing charges that carry the death penalty, is also the prime suspect for ordering the murder of Karam.