The guy who was brutally shot to death this morning in Sydney’s east was described by police as a “major player” in organized crime with “strong, high-level links” to the Comanchero bikie group.
The 48-year-old Alen Moradian is thought to have lived in the Whitten Lane apartment building on Spring Street in Bondi Junction.
At 8.30 am today, he was fatally shot as he was in the driver’s seat of his automobile in the building’s underground parking.
Moradian was regarded as a “high-level criminal identity” who “had a big target on his back” by Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty.
“We are saying this was a well-planned (and) executed murder of a high-level criminal identity,” Doherty added.
“We believe the initial information was that there were at least two shooters or people involved.”
Moradian, who was involved in a plan to smuggle cocaine and was connected to the Comanchero bikie group, was sentenced to at least six years in prison in 2011.
Doherty said the investigation was still in its early stages but that investigators were looking for the two gunmen they thought were responsible for the gangland killing.
After the savage underworld attack, Doherty claimed he wished to “allay the fears” of the populace.
To ensure that there isn’t any retaliation or escalation, he said, officers are already door-to-door canvassing the area.
He said that Operation Talon was being used by the authorities to identify the shooters.
“We are focusing all of our attention right now on obtaining CCTV and witnesses and gaining as much information as we can at the moment,” Doherty added.
Recently, the murder has been connected to a burnt-out Porsche that was discovered on neighboring James Street not long after the shooting.
Detectives are also looking into the possibility that a second burnt-out car, a Holden Commodore on Cook Lane in Zetland, was also involved.
So far, three crime scenes have been identified.
The apartment building where Moradian resided has about 150 people.
He is thought to have lived on the building’s 13th floor.
Authorities continue to urge everyone to stay away from the area, including drivers and pedestrians.
According to a statement from Woollahra Council, “This part of Bondi Junction is closed to all traffic, pedestrians, and cyclists for the next few hours.”
Under the condition of anonymity, a Spring Street store assistant told the Sydney Morning Herald that police had prevented her from entering her place of employment.
She stated that the police had instructed everyone to return inside at around 8 a.m. “I don’t know if someone is still out on the loose, but it is a little scary,” she said.
