{"id":615392,"date":"2026-04-18T16:32:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T16:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/615392\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T16:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T16:32:13","slug":"alleged-arson-attacks-and-shootings-in-sydney-prompt-fears-of-escalating-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/615392\/","title":{"rendered":"Alleged arson attacks and shootings in Sydney prompt fears of escalating violence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Police have expressed concerns about escalating violence within Sydney’s organised crime networks following several public shootings and arson attacks overnight.<\/p>\n

The series of incidents started just before 2am on Saturday when gunfire was reported at a barber shop at Casula in the city’s south-west.<\/p>\n

An alleged arson attack at a caf\u00e9 in South Wentworthville followed two hours later, with the attacks escalating further at 7:45am when officers responded to reports of gunfire at a home on Fairmont Street in Merrylands.<\/p>\n

\"the<\/p>\n

A second crime scene was set up in Guildford. (ABC News: Isobel Roe)<\/p>\n

A second crime scene was established just after 8:15am, after reports that shots were fired at a home on Woodstock Street in Guildford.<\/p>\n

No-one was injured in the shootings.<\/p>\n

Two people, aged 17 and 21, were arrested following a short pursuit with police, with the men apprehended and a firearm allegedly seized when their car was found abandoned at Smithfield.<\/p>\n

Detective Superintendent Jason Box said it was “well known” that some of the premises targeted in the attacks were linked to the Alameddine crime family.<\/p>\n

Superintendent Box said officers were investigating the connection between the alleged attacks on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n

“It would appear the first incident had caused the other three acts in retaliation,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Police say the violence started following a shooting at a Casula hairdresser. (ABC \u00a0News)<\/p>\n

The Alameddines are considered by police to be key players in Sydney’s drug trade, running a complex organised crime network out of the city’s west<\/a>.<\/p>\n

NSW Police last year established Taskforce Falcon to suppress violence connected to internal conflict within the Alameddine organised crime network.<\/p>\n

Concerns ‘retaliation won’t stop’<\/p>\n

Superintendent Box said the taskforce would be on high alert to further attacks following Saturday’s violence.<\/p>\n

“It’s quite obvious that these serious acts of violence have the potential to take lives [and] lead to retaliation,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Taskforce Falcon has so far \u2026 [had] over 400 people arrested for the most serious offences from murder down, with over 4,000 charges laid.”<\/p>\n

\"Detective<\/p>\n

Superintendent Box says the attacks have the potential to “lead to retaliation”. (ABC News)<\/p>\n

Superintendent Box said offenders who participated in violence against organised crime entities risked becoming victims in acts of retaliation.<\/p>\n

“They’re dealing with high-level organised crime entities who commit violence. If they approach them and commit violence, expect it back,” he said.<\/p>\n

“And don’t expect it to be restricted to [the offenders]. Their families, their associates, where they frequent is potentially going to be targeted.<\/p>\n

“Even if they go to jail, that retaliation or threat of retaliation won’t stop.”<\/p>\n

Charges are yet to be laid over Saturday’s incidents, and investigations are ongoing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Police have expressed concerns about escalating violence within Sydney’s organised crime networks following several public shootings and arson…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":615393,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[298737,298738,298743,64,63,44,2733,4277,298739,81679,298741,298740,298742,123879],"class_list":{"0":"post-615392","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"tag-allameddine-crime-family","9":"tag-allameddines","10":"tag-arson-attack","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-nsw","15":"tag-nsw-police","16":"tag-organised-crime-sydney","17":"tag-public-place-shooting","18":"tag-rival-gang-crime","19":"tag-sydney-gang-crime","20":"tag-sydney-house-shooting","21":"tag-sydney-shooting"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/615392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=615392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/615392\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/615393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=615392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=615392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=615392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}