Celebrity Boxer Survives Second Assassination Attempt Outside Home

Underworld figure Suleiman “Sam” Abdulrahim, a former member of the Mongols and a bikie, was shot and survived a shooting in a Melbourne neighborhood two years after another attempted murder outside a cemetery. 

At around 3:15 in the morning on Friday, gunshots wounded the 32-year-old boxer, who goes by the name “The Punisher,” outside his residence on Larch St. in Thomastown. 

Police in Victoria have verified that bullets were fired at Abdulrahim; fortunately, he was unharmed, and no one has been taken into custody as of yet. As members of the armed crime squad searched for evidence, they found bullet casings scattered on the road outside the residence, covered with surveillance cameras. Two car fires set before the 3 am shooting are being investigated for a possible link. Police theorize Abdulrahim was lured outside his home for assassination. They also believe this attempted killing is part of a larger underworld feud over tobacco in the area.

In June 2022, Abdulrahim was attacked in his Mercedes as he was leaving a funeral in Fawkner; this was the second time he was targeted in a shooting attempt. Despite suffering four gunshot wounds to the chest, he was able to go to a neighboring police station in time to get medical attention. After the assault, two of the suspects fled the country in less than 48 hours.

After killing a grandma in a car accident in 2018, Abdulrahim was sentenced to more than three years in prison. Concerned about his safety, the parole board terminated his parole six months later. Abdulrahim was not found guilty of any offenses that would necessitate the revocation of his parole by the Supreme Court of Victoria.

The shooting came after a string of recent cigarette store fires in Melbourne and another significant attempt on Abdulrahim’s life in 2022. Of the 75 arson attacks that have occurred since March of last year, 49 have targeted tobacco stores, leading investigators to believe that these criminal organizations are behind it all.