Why ice cream shops are a firebombing target in renewed fight for gang territory
The firebombing of two ice cream shops is at the center of the latest wave of violence linked to the so-called “tobacco war”; Barbers and cafes on crowded shopping streets are also targeted.
This month, four businesses and one home belonging to or linked to the criminal gang led by Fadi Haddara were attacked; These included setting fire to Capriccio Gelateria in Williamstown and a drive-by shooting into a crowd standing outside an Altona North kebab shop in the heart of the gang’s territory.
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 from the prevailing crime syndicate 313s, led by Kazem “Kaz” Hamad, according to three police and underworld sources.
Hamad, who forced Haddara’s gang out of the tobacco game in 2024 after a violent campaign of firebombs, shootings and attempted murders, was arrested in his native Iraq in January.
Sources say the 42-year-old’s “disappearance” has created a power vacuum that old enemies and new rivals are trying to exploit.
Since Hamad’s arrest two months ago, there have been more than 25 tobacco market-related attacks across the country. This comes after nearly nine months of relative calm after he formed the “Commission” in early 2025, a cartel uniting rival factions in the first tobacco war that began two years ago.
A police source 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 for the fire at Capriccio, a business in Haddara. – earlier this week.
Two men are accused of stealing a blue Toyota Corolla and setting fire to an ice cream parlor, according to charges unsealed Thursday. Both suspects were out on bail at the time of the alleged crime.
The presence of Haddara’s crew in the Hobson Bay area has long been an issue.
There have been six arson attacks on Williamstown’s main strip since 2022; Capriccio was also targeted by arsonists in 2024.
It was one of several businesses owned or affiliated with the gang that were burned to the ground during the 2023-24 feud, including a Lebanese restaurant in Docklands owned by Fadi Haddara and several entertainment venues.
A rival store, Williamstown Ice Creamery & Frozen Yoghurt, was attacked with Molotov cocktails three times in late 2023, an unsolved crime.
Haddara has previously denied any involvement in the tobacco wars, with his lawyer stating that he “has nothing to do with, and has never had anything to do with, any tobacco store.”
The recent resurgence of violence has shaken the people of Williamstown, sparking a long-term economic decline in the area and coinciding with the local police station reducing its hours in February.
A Victoria Police memo taken by Age He told local authorities on Monday that police were unable to open the station the day after the ice cream shop was bombed, blaming unplanned furloughs.
Police are reportedly investigating links between the arson attack and shooting in Altona and the firebombing of the Gelateria on Tarneit Quay.
“It is a fact that there are significant vacancies in Victoria Police and we must put our valuable resources where they will have the biggest impact,” he says. “We simply do not have enough resources to open this Friday or next Monday.”
A police CCTV caravan known as a mobile surveillance unit (MSU) was rolled up the main street as police chief Mike Bush visited the ice cream parlor scene on Monday.
Local restaurateur Brad Fava, whose deli on Nelson Place was robbed earlier this month, said much more action was needed for the street.
“I don’t think it helps that the Williamstown police station is not open,” Fava said.
“People fly in here like it’s a racetrack. We have tables outside; we just hear a car and close our eyes because we don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The smell of burnt plastic lingered in the lane. “The whole town smells like that now,” said Tracy Kelly, who lives behind the ice cream shop.
Rosemary Angyasy, president of the Williamstown Chamber of Commerce, said there were a number of empty stores along the high street and this was the result of rising costs and pressures from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My job is to try to revitalize the area. But it’s difficult when there are constant fire bombs; people see that 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 clue? Email carla.jaeger@theage.com.au or message carlajaeger.62 on Signal.Connect with: X or email.
