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Two ice cream shop firebombings are at the centre of the latest wave of violence tied to the so-called “tobacco war”, with barbers and cafes along busy shopping strips also targeted.
Four businesses and a home owned or linked to the crime gang led by Fadi Haddara have been attacked this month, including the torching of the Capriccio Gelateria in Williamstown and a drive-by shooting targeting a crowd of men standing outside an Altona North kebab shop in the heart of the gang’s territory.
According to three police and underworld sources, recent attempts by the Haddara-led gang to regain control of the illicit tobacco market in Melbourne’s west have been met with fierce resistance by reigning crime syndicate the 313s, run by Kazem “Kaz” Hamad.
Hamad, who forced Haddara’s gang out of the tobacco game in 2024 following a vicious campaign of firebombings, shootings and attempted murders, was arrested in his native Iraq in January.
The “disappearance” of the 42-year-old has created a power vacuum old enemies and new rivals have been trying to exploit, sources say.
Since Hamad’s arrest two months ago, there have been more than 25 attacks nationwide linked to the tobacco market. This followed about nine months of relative calm following his establishment of “The Commission” in early 2025 – a cartel that united rival factions from the first tobacco war that began two years before.
A police source has described the new series of firebombings and shootings as a major escalation in violence.
On Wednesday, Brooklyn Hunter-Barton, 24, and Declan Mackie, 22, were charged with arson and conduct endangering life over the fire at Capriccio – a Haddara business – earlier this week.
The two men are accused of stealing a blue Toyota Corolla and torching the ice cream parlour, according to charge sheets released on Thursday. Both suspects were out on bail at the time of the alleged offence.
In the Hobson’s Bay area, the presence of Haddara’s crew has long been a problem.
Since 2022, there have been six arson attacks along Williamstown’s main strip, with Capriccio also targeted by arsonists in 2024.
It was one of a score of businesses owned or linked to the gang burnt down during the 2023-24 feud, including a Lebanese restaurant in Docklands owned by Fadi Haddara and several entertainment venues.
A competing shop, Williamstown Ice Creamery & Frozen Yoghurt, was attacked with Molotov cocktails three times in late 2023 in a crime that remains unsolved.
Haddara has previously denied any involvement in the tobacco wars, with his lawyer stating he had “no interest and has never had any interest in any tobacco store”.
The recent resurgence in violence has rattled the Williamstown community, compounding a longer-term economic decline for the area and coinciding with the local police station reducing its opening hours in February.
A Victoria Police memo obtained by The Age informed local authorities on Monday that the force could not open the station the day after the ice cream shop was firebombed, blaming unplanned leave.
It noted that police were investigating connections between the arson attack and a shooting in Altona and the firebombing of Gelateria on the Docks in Tarneit.
“It is a reality Victoria Police has a significant number of vacancies, and we must put our valuable resources where they have the biggest impact,” it read, continuing, “We don’t have sufficient resourcing to open this Friday or next Monday.”
Police chief Mike Bush visited the ice cream parlour crime scene on Monday, while a police CCTV trailer, known as a mobile surveillance unit (MSU), was moved closer on the main street.
Local restaurateur Brad Fava, whose deli on Nelson Place was robbed earlier this month, said far more action is needed for the street.
“I don’t think it’s helped that the Williamstown police station hasn’t been open,” Fava said.
“People fly down here like it’s a drag strip. We’ve got tables outside – we just hear a car and close our eyes because we don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The stench of burnt plastic has lingered on the strip. “The whole town’s smelling like that now,” said Tracy Kelly, who lives behind the ice cream shop.
There are several vacant shops along the main street, which Williamstown Chamber of Commerce president Rosemary Angyasy said was the result of rising costs and pressures that arose from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My job is to try and reinvigorate the area. But when there’s constant firebombings, it’s difficult – people see the crime rate is high and they don’t want to come,” Angyasy said.
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Carla Jaeger is a journalist for The Age. Got a tip? Email carla.jaeger@theage.com.au or message carlajaeger.62 on Signal.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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