Violent Australian airport brawl that 'sparked gangland war' captured on video
A video has shown the moment a scuffle broke out between two alleged Australian gang members that preceded a spate of executions in the following months.
Australia: Brawl erupts at airport in 2021
Violence erupted at an Australian airport after two allegedly notorious crime families spotted one another. Footage from Ballina airport in New South Wales shows two men locked in a scrap in the baggage claim area as startled travellers look on. Their fight eventually drags in other alleged gang members, who split into two groups.
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The two men and the other fighters are said to hail from the Hamzy and Alameddine gangs.
According to 9news.com, which posted the clip, the men involved were John Ray Bayssari and Dagher Ghamrawi.
The video shows Bayssari waiting for his luggage when he spots rival Ghamrawi at the baggage claim area.
The men launch at one another, exchanging blows as shocked families walk away from the scene.
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Other gang members join the fray at this point, with 9news.com naming Alameddine member Benjamin Barakat and Hamzy's Ghassan Amoun.
The outlet also reported that Hamzy-linked Rodriguez Henriques also joined the fight.
The airport incident was recorded by CCTV in February 2021, and led police to charge four men with affray in August.
Police related the video to court, and provided a fact sheet stating the brawl lasted for roughly a minute and a half before airport security intervened.
The document added that "at least 40 people" crowded as the scuffle went down, including "families with young children".
Amoun, one of the gang members reportedly involved, was the younger brother of Bassam Hamzy, the notorious boss of Brothers 4 Life.
He died in a daylight gangland shooting early this year on January 6, 2022.
The 35-year-old was shot twice in the head and died on the scene outside a salon in South Wentworthville, New South Wales.
According to the Daily Mail Australia, there is no indication that the men involved in the airport brawl played a part in the execution.
The fight allegedly marked an escalation in tensions between the Hamzy and Alameddine families.
Amoun died in one of 14 gang-linked executions in the months following.
Other victims included Salim Hamze, 18, and his father Toufik, 64, who were also shot dead.
