Hundreds of mourners filled Western Sydney’s Lakemba Mosque to farewell gangland figure Hamad ‘H’ Assaad, 29, after he was gunned down in an execution-style hit in his driveway in front of his 12-year-old son on Tuesday.
Close family and friends gathered around the coffin to carry it up the steep stairs and into Lakemba Mosque just after Friday’s midday prayers.
The circumstances surrounding the execution-style murder of Assaad saw the mourners watched by a police helicopter hovering above.
Assaad was gunned down in his driveway on Tuesday in front of his young son and left in a pool of his own blood outside his home in George’s Hall in Sydney’s south-west.
Assaad, a suspected underworld contract killer, had been the key suspect in the shooting of gangland boss Walid ‘Wally’ Ahmad – who was executed in the carpark of Bankstown Central in April.
Ahmad was also farewelled at the same mosque, with his funeral attended by a who’s who of Sydney’s underworld.
But Assad’s funeral was unlike that of Walid ‘Wally’ Ahmad – with family and friends appearing to account for most of the mourners.
After the funeral, Assaad’s family were seen carrying the coffin to the waiting hearse. A woman, believed to be his mother, was seen crying behind the pallbearers.
After the coffin was driven away to be buried, family members followed behind in a Rolls Royce to the graveyard.
Assaad, who was known as ‘H’ in underworld circles, was previously investigated by police for three other shootings, including that of colourful Sydney identity Michael Ibrahim, the brother of nightclub owner John Ibrahim.
Assaad was described by underworld sources as ‘wild man’ who was proud of his fearsome reputation.
He was also believed to be behind the shooting of Pasquale Barbaro, 35, who was gunned down in Sydney’s inner west, and behind the theft of a large haul of ice, also known as meth, believed to be worth more than $300,000.
As the funeral came to an end Assaad’s two brothers were seen holding the coffin as they led the body towards the hearse.
Their mother was not far behind as she was heard wailing and unable to control her tears.
As the coffin passed, mourners hung their heads out of respect.
Mourners were also seen praying with their hands on knees and heads hung low, near the stairs of the Lakemba Mosque.
Previously, grieving family attacked cameramen as they waited outside the family home.However, a family representative approached photographers and requested they ‘move away to a respectful distance’ from the front of the mosque.
Mourners also flooded social media to offer their condolences during the funeral.
‘Allah has gained a soldier, Allahu Akbar may peace and blessings be with you my brother,’ said one.
‘May Allah have mercy on his soul,’ said another.
The funeral to farewell Assaad occurred just hours after police discovered the getaway car used in his murder.
It was found parked in a suburban street engulfed in flames at 2am on Friday morning in Birrong, in Sydney’s south-west.
H/t kevin a.
* * *
PayPal: Donate in USD
PayPal: Donate in EUR
PayPal: Donate in GBP