Houses Raided in Merrylands due to Threats against Police Station

Homes of 2 families were raided by the Merrylands police after they received threats against police station.

The police raid was initiated at 6am Wednesday after the police gathered enough intelligence. They stormed Alameddine and Haouchar residence located at Lockwood Street and Blackwood Road respectively. However, no charges were filed since police found 'nothing of interest.'

The Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad were the ones who conducted the raid after threats to a police station in Sydney was made. The raids were in line with firearm prohibition orders since each residence houses an individual under the firearm prohibition order.

The family who lived in Lockwood Street was being investigated as a result of the death of Curtis Cheng, a police accountant who was shot outside NSW Police Headquarters last October 2.

'We're always going to take threats seriously in relation to threats against police officers and police premises, quite obviously,' Detective Superintendent Peter McErlain, commander of the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad said. Despite the fact that the Wednesday raids were not able to yield any leads, the investigation remains ongoing.

Firearm prohibition orders were issued to disallow a person from owning firearms and allow the police more privilege to search such person or their properties without the need for a warrant.

The police were investigating how a hand gun came into possession of Farhad Jabar, a 15 year old student who was responsible for killing Cheng. It was given to Jabar by Raban Alou, 18 who received such firearm from Talal Alameddine, 22. The 22 year old adult was arrested and charged with breaching the firearms prohibition order because he possessed a gun hours before Cheng was shot dead by Jabar.

Osman Haouchar, 26 was being investigated when he fled to Middle East 2 weeks after Michael Ibrahim's shooting. Michael, the brother of King Cross identity John Ibrahim, survived the shooting outside his apartment in Macquarie Street last January 4. Haouchar told the police that he went to Turkey just to do some humanitarian work and he was released afterwards.