SYDNEY, Oct 9 — Former UFC fighter Suman Mokhtarian was fatally shot in a “brazen” daylight attack while walking in Sydney, just months after surviving an earlier attempt on his life, police said.
SYDNEY, Oct 9 — Former UFC fighter Suman Mokhtarian was fatally shot in a “brazen” daylight attack while walking in Sydney, just months after surviving an earlier attempt on his life, police said.
The 33-year-old was killed in what authorities described as a “targeted” shooting in Riverstone, a suburb in Sydney’s northwest, yesterday evening, according to New South Wales Police.
Shortly after the incident, two cars were found ablaze in separate locations — a common feature of recent organised crime-related attacks that have unsettled the city.
“It’s a very brazen act, and it’s tragic that this is happening in our community,” said NSW Police superintendent Jason Joyce. “You’d hope people could safely walk in their neighbourhood at that time of night, but we believe this was a targeted attack.”
Local reports said Mokhtarian had survived a previous shooting attempt in February, when a gunman opened fire on him outside a gym in Sydney’s west.
Mokhtarian competed in the UFC in 2018 and 2019 before transitioning to coaching, where he trained several of Australia’s rising mixed martial arts talents at a gym in Sydney’s west, according to ESPN.
A local resident, identified only as Ben, said he was out walking with his wife when he heard the gunfire. “We heard a loud bang and saw smoke rising — it must have been the car,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald. “There was chaos everywhere; people were shocked because nothing like this has ever happened here. There were even kids riding their bikes nearby.”
The incident occurred just a day after police foiled an alleged “kill team” armed with guns, balaclavas, body cameras, and fuel cans near a daycare centre. Authorities are investigating whether the two cases are connected. — AFP
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