Notorious Sydney Families Tie the Knot in the Middle of a Crime Scene

The families of both Sydney nightlife figure John Ibrahim and disgraced former Auburn mayor Salim Mehajer may have been warned in advance about a shooting at a nikah (Islamic legal contract for marriage) celebration over the weekend, sources have told VICE. “Warnings had been sent,” they said, “and that’s why [Tongan] Sam was there well before the ceremony.”

Semi “Tongan Sam” Ngata is John Ibrahim’s longtime bodyguard who was shot in the back during the party, after a gunshot rang out over the back fence of a Ibrahim’s childhood home in Western Sydney. The Daily Telegraph is reporting that, at the time of the shooting, Tongan Sam was in the backyard of John Ibrahim’s mother’s home with two women. All around them, close friends and relatives were setting up for the engagement of Ibrahim’s nephew Sam Sayour to disgraced councillor Salim Mehajer’s sister Aisha.

A source told news.com.au that the bodyguard lunged to protect the bride-to-be moments before he was struck. A few hours later, officers discovered a burnt out Mercedes Benz in the nearby suburb of Mays Hill. Police are yet to confirm whether there is a link.

As forensic investigators combed the house for clues, the celebrations forged ahead at the crime scene—with both Aisha Mehajer and Sam Sayour posting a flurry of Snapchat posts. In the backyard, a marquee was lined with plastic red roses and stocked with an overdose of Lebanese delicacies.

Outside, the picture was a little different—riot squad officers loitering around marked police cars, as relatives of the Ibrahim family who are members of the Nomad Motorcycle Club stood their ground in opposition.

“The Ibrahims aren’t going to show that they bothered by losers taking shots, trying to disrupt the party,” one source told VICE. “They aren’t going to back down. It’s happened before and it’ll happen again. They held the party and went hard.”

Rumours have been circulating about the simmering tensions between the two notorious families for a while now. A police source told the Sunday Telegraph that opposition to the wedding could be the primary motive for the shooting. “[Mehajer’s] boys run with a different crew in Sydney, they are from a different team there was bound to be a bit of drama around this. There are big egos involved,” a source told VICE.

This isn’t the first Mehajer wedding to make headlines. Aisha’s brother Salim, the former deputy mayor of Sydney’s Auburn council, stirred up controversy when he locked down an entire block in Lindcombe for his wedding motorcade, which included dozens of Harley Davidsons, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and several Rolls Royces. After publishing his wedding video online, the media went into a frenzy that made Salim an overnight celebrity.

The following year his wife took out an apprehended violence order (AVO) against him, as did a personal trainer who contacted police after he was threatened. Since then, reports have emerged that Salim owes creditors $97 million, has been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. On Tuesday, Salim narrowly avoided jail time and is currently under “virtual house arrest” for dangerous driving and breaching his wife’s AVO.

The Ibrahims are no strangers to violence either. In the 90s, John Ibrahim was shot at an illegal gambling den. In 2009, his younger brother Fadi Ibrahim was shot five times as he sat in his Lamborghini outside his home in Castle Cove. The following year, his sister Amani Haddad’s house was sprayed with 25 bullets. Sam Sayour, the groom from this weekend's engagement, was shot in a drive-by shooting in 2011 after an altercation with another group at the the Promenade in the Old Guilford. Later that year, John’s mother’s house was shot at while his older brother Sam Ibrahim was standing outside. In 2015, his younger brother Michael Ibrahim was shot in the shoulder on Macquarie St in Sydney’s CBD.

“These guys are trapped in the Western Suburbs lifestyle, even when you escape the area and move or make something out of yourself, it comes back after you. These people had to burn bridges to get where they are and now those left behind are catching up with them,” said a source.

Amidst the chaos, and theatrical personalities of both families, are newlyweds Sam and Aisha. Can their romance rise above the underbelly that has gripped both families? The concrete on the pavement outside the Ibrahim home was etched with the message “Sam + Aisha 18.11.17,” a testament to their Snap Stories of a bulletproof love.