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Police Launch Taskforce After Matt Utai Shooting to Probe Linked Gang Attacks

Detectives say the ambush forms part of a wider gang conflict connected to alleged associates of Utai’s son.

Overview

  • Utai, 44, underwent surgery for gunshot wounds to the leg and shoulder and remains in a serious condition.
  • NSW Police’s Raptor Squad created Strike Force Halesowen, deploying about 100 investigators and increasing patrols in western Sydney.
  • Detectives are linking fresh attacks — a St Clair house sprayed with bullets, a Guildford West home and car fire, and a Colyton vehicle blaze — to the case.
  • Officers say Utai is not suspected of criminality, with inquiries focusing on his son Iziah’s 2023 gun and drug conviction and alleged organised‑crime ties, and police believe he is overseas.
  • Underworld videos and messages from rival groups, including the Alameddine network and a self‑styled “Coconut Cartel,” boast of retaliation and target relatives, and no arrests have been made.