OFF THE WIRE
Wayne Flower From: Herald Sun August 17, 2010
HELLS Angels bikies have farewelled slain crime figure Macchour Chaouk in an ominous display of support.
Members of the notorious motorcycle gang embraced Chaouk's son, Omar, outside Preston Mosque as up to 100 people gathered for the funeral.
Chaouk, 65, was killed in his backyard in a barrage of bullets last Friday.
Police wearing bulletproof vests and equipped with guns and capsicum spray were also present amid fears mourners would attack media outside the mosque.
Reporters were banned from entering the mosque.
But the Chaouk family instead approached the media, with Macchour Chaouk's nephew, Ali, dismissing earlier comments from family members vowing revenge on the rival Haddara family.
"We want strongly to believe the Australian justice system and police will secure the rights of the innocent victim and his family, and bring the killers of this terrible crime to justice," he said.
Mr Chaouk condemned his uncle's murderer.
"My uncle was shot down in cold blood at his modest house in Brooklyn," he said.
"He was killed in his own backyard in front of his three grandchildren. The oldest of them is seven years old.
"He was murdered in front of his wife and daughter-in-law. The murderer threatened to kill Macchour's wife before he ran away."
Mr Chaouk denied members of his family were involved in Melbourne's underworld.
"There is gross exaggeration in dealing with this sad event," he said.
The funeral service went for more than an hour before Chaouk's body was taken to Fawkner Cemetery where he was buried alongside his son, Mohamed, who was shot dead by police during a raid in 2005.
Deputy Commissioner Ken Jones said Ahmed Haddara remained a person of interest in Chaouk's murder.
The 57-year-old was arrested eight hours after the murder and questioned by detectives before being released.
His son, Mohamed, 28, was shot dead at Altona North last year. Ahmed Hamlas, 21, a relative of the Chaouks, was later charged over his death.
