New South Wales (NSW) police intercepted three men allegedly on their way to carry out a planned killing near a daycare center in Revesby, in Sydney’s south-west, on Tuesday afternoon.
Officers say the operation stopped a potential attack linked to organized crime.
Tactical police moved in at about 3:50 p.m. on River Road during peak traffic.
Highlights
- NSW police intercepted three men en route to an alleged planned killing near a daycare center in Sydney’s south-west.
- Officers used a high-risk operation with non-lethal rounds, arresting suspects in two cars during peak traffic.
- Police seized firearms, balaclavas, body cameras, and fuel containers linked to the suspects during arrests.
- The suspects are reportedly tied to a transnational organized crime network and targeted an individual with a dispute inside it.
- Three men charged with conspiracy to murder were denied bail; one was already on bail for aggravated break-ins.
NSW police intercepted three men on their way to carry out a planned killing
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They surrounded two cars and arrested three men in what police described as a “high-risk” intervention.
The arrests took place near several childcare facilities at a time when parents were arriving to collect their children.
According to detectives, the men intended to target an individual who was believed to be on his way to pick up his child, in the same “vicinity” at the time of the arrests.
The men were first seen by NSW officers at Sydney’s Condell Park during a routine surveillance operation, “mobilizing to carry out an offense.”
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Videos filmed by motorists showed armed officers swarming a silver Mercedes and breaking a window to reach the occupants.
The officers fired non-lethal ‘bean bag’ rounds, pouches containing lead pellets, to stop the cars.
Further along the road, officers boxed in a Mitsubishi SUV that had bullet holes in its windscreen before pulling out a third man.
The alleged target was believed to be on his way to pick up his child from a daycare center nearby
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Police arrested Greall Tighe, 18, and Kevin Mundine, 19, from the Mercedes, and Tyrone Tuiluga Rio, 26, from the SUV.
All three were taken to Bankstown Police Station.
Inside the cars, officers seized two pistols, balaclavas, body-worn cameras, and jerrycans filled with fuel. A third firearm was recovered later from another vehicle linked to the group.
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Assistant Commissioner Scott Cook said the men came “pretty close” to carrying out their plan.
“This was a calculated and coordinated intervention that stopped what we will allege was a planned killing nearby a daycare center—a deeply concerning scenario,” he said during a press conference Tuesday.
“The fact this group were prepared to kill an individual in a location where so much collateral damage could have been caused is of significant concern to the NSW Police Force.”
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“We’re not conclusively certain which daycare center was relevant to this intended hit, but we are aware it was around a daycare center,” Cook added.
Cook further said the detectives had been investigating a transnational organized crime network that was “believed to be involved in multiple conspiracies to murder” for several weeks.
Police believe that the individual targeted was part of a transactional organized crime network and had a dispute “inside the organization.”
Detective Superintendent Peter Faux, Commander of the Organized Crime Squad, said officers had monitored the group for several weeks.
The alleged target is believed to be part of a transnational organized crime network
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“We were able to not only identify that they were going to do something serious, we were fortunately in a position to react and stop that from occurring,” Faux said.
“We clearly stopped other people, innocent bystanders, from being caught up in this intended murder.”
Faux said, “We clearly stopped them from murdering someone.”
“We've been looking at and targeting a number of different organized crime networks … with a big focus on identifying those involved and stopping them before they occur,” he added.
The police also defended their decision to make the arrests in traffic, with Faux saying the operation was controlled and public safety was not at risk.
Tighe and Mundine were charged with conspiracy to commit murder, possessing an unauthorized pistol, and participating in a criminal group.
Rio was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and participation in a criminal group.
Tighe and Rio appeared at Bankstown Local Court on Wednesday. Mundine is due to appear on Thursday.
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All were refused bail.
One of the three men was already on bail for a series of aggravated breaking-and-entering charges.
“These individuals were being watched, and we moved at the right moment,” Cook said.
“We remain committed to protecting the community from serious and organized crime, especially when it threatens everyday spaces where families expect to feel safe.”
Three men were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder
Image credits: ABC News
NSW police have refrained from giving additional information about the potential victim.
Cook said, “That person has links to crime, and that person was targeted due to what we think is a breakdown in the transnational organized crime network. I am not prepared to talk about the victim. It is not in the interest or safety of that victim to describe them further.”
On Wednesday morning, NSW Premier Chris Minns was asked if one of the men being arrested and charged while on bail was an “example of the court system maybe getting it wrong.”
“I think if you look at the dramatic circumstances relating to the arrest yesterday, you’d have to say yes,” Minns replied.