Two men have pleaded guilty to roles in the aftermath of the 2021 daylight execution of teenage gangster Salim Hamze and his innocent father, Toufik Hamze, in Sydney. Their slaying marked the sixth and seventh deaths in a bloody gangland war between the Hamzy and Alameddine families—two rival clans battling for control of Western Sydney’s drug trade.
Suliman Hamza, now 23, and a teenage boy, aged 16 at the time of the killings, admitted to being accessories after the fact to the murders. Neither were involved in the fatal shooting nor the immediate getaway, but were later enlisted to clean vehicles used in the crime.
The court heard the pair were woefully inexperienced, with the teenager’s barrister likening him to a “mushroom in the dark,” unaware of the true scope of the crime. “He has some remorse for Toufik [Hamze], who he characterised as blameless,” his legal team told Sydney District Court on Friday.
The teenager, identified only as SH due to his age, had reportedly been alienated from his own family and sought belonging in bikie-linked groups. His involvement, lawyers argued, stemmed more from social vulnerability than criminal intent.
Their task was to wipe down forensic evidence from getaway vehicles. However, they did a poor job—both left behind DNA. In fact, Mr Hamza was so unfamiliar with cleaning agents that he had to Google what Windex was used for before beginning the task.
“I wouldn’t employ them to clean my home,” the barrister quipped, highlighting the pair’s lack of experience and preparation.
Mr Hamza’s lawyer, Avni Djemal SC, said his client had “no idea” the vehicles had been used in a double murder. “He is a very troubled young man from a background of abject poverty,” Djemal added, painting a picture of a vulnerable recruit rather than a hardened criminal.
Despite this, Crown prosecutor Mitchell Paish called Mr Hamza “the pivot,” saying he played a directing role in the cleanup operation, possibly instructing others involved in the attempt to erase forensic links.
Salim Hamze, 18, was believed to be targeted over suspicions that he had killed rival drug dealer Shady Kanj two months prior. His father, Toufik, 64, was reportedly collateral damage—“The father died for the sins of the son,” said then-Homicide Commander Danny Doherty.
The father and son were ambushed in a hail of bullets while getting into a red ute outside their Guildford home on October 20, 2021. The suspected shooter, Zaid Abdelhafez—once Salim’s close friend—fled the country shortly after and remains a fugitive.
Others suspected of orchestrating the murders, including Rafat Alameddine and John Bayssari, are also believed to be in Lebanon, evading justice.
If convicted, Hamza and SH would be among the few successfully prosecuted in connection with Sydney’s spiraling gangland violence, which has seen 33 underworld killings in just five years.
Both will return to Sydney District Court next week for sentencing, as authorities continue their effort to crack down on the city’s entrenched criminal networks.
