Multiple venue operators across Melbourne already reeling from a crime crisis have received a chilling WhatsApp message threatening the sender will “not stop until we get what we want”.<\/p>\n
More than 30 firebombing, shootings, kidnappings and home invasions have been linked to the crime spree on Melbourne’s nightlife over the last couple of months.<\/p>\n
A WhatsApp message, sent from an international number, has delivered a frightening warning to multiple venue operators over the last week.<\/p>\n
The message warned the attacks would “not stop until we get what we want”.<\/p>\n
Venue operators’ families were threatened, along with their “businesses, homes, and souls”.<\/p>\n
“Hello. If you got (sic) this message, Were (sic) after you, your family, your businesses, homes and souls,” the message, reported by the Herald Sun, read.<\/p>\n
“We will take it by force if you don’t comply. The police can’t help you. It’s inevitable. We won’t stop till we get what we want.<\/p>\n
“Thank you.”<\/p>\n
An Iraqi-based crime gang, allegedly working under the order of a group called ‘the Cartel’, is considered a prime suspect for the source of the messages, The Age reports.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Age also reports a 23-year-old Australian living in Baghdad, who fled to the Middle East the day after a failed hit on underworld figure Sam ‘The Punisher’ Abdul Rahim, is linked to the gang.<\/p>\n
Law enforcement placed an international alert on him shortly after he fled.<\/p>\n
Police say investigations into the WhatsApp text message are ongoing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
CBD venue La Di Da nightclub was the latest to be targeted in the early hours of Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
Emergency services were called to a fire at the venue, on the corner of King and Little Bourke Streets, at about 3.30am.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No one was inside the venue at the time of the incident.<\/p>\n
Officers were told a vehicle was seen leaving the premises.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The fire is being treated as suspicious and will be reviewed by detectives from Operation Eclipse, which was established last month in response to the series of attacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Operation Eclipse was established last month to target a range of serious and organised crime syndicates believed to be involved in a series of offending linked to hospitality venues, as well as determining the motive for these attacks,” a statement read.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Police remain open to a range of possibilities in relation to the motive and we encourage anyone with information to come forward.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Multiple venue operators across Melbourne already reeling from a crime crisis have received a chilling WhatsApp message threatening…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4913,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[847,260,4709,6214],"class_list":{"0":"post-4912","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-melbourne","8":"tag-arson-attacks","9":"tag-melbourne","10":"tag-melbourne-crime","11":"tag-melbourne-hospitality"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}