Vietnamese authorities have released photographs of two Australian nationals they wish to question following the fatal shooting of a Sydney underworld figure in Ho Chi Minh City. Lorenzo Lemalu, 24, a senior leader of the notorious Coconut Cartel and former associate of the Alameddine crime family, was ambushed and shot dead outside a restaurant on Thursday night.
Details of the Incident
CCTV footage captured Lemalu's final moments as he stood with a group on a footpath along a busy dining strip. He was gunned down at point-blank range in front of shocked diners. A second man was also wounded during the attack. Police in Vietnam have launched an investigation and are seeking to speak with Lang Kenny Trong Minh Do, 36, and White Justin John, 39. According to a police alert, the two men left Ho Chi Minh City in a taxi and got out near a supermarket in Tay Ninh, a town close to the Cambodian border. Their current whereabouts are unknown.
Police Warning
Local news reports describe the men as 'particularly dangerous,' and authorities urge the public not to approach them but to report any sightings. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by the men; police merely wish to speak with them as part of their inquiries.
The Shooting
CCTV footage posted online shows the moment Lemalu was gunned down in a busy dining precinct. He was followed into the restaurant as diners ran for cover. Another victim fell onto the road but managed to crawl onto the footpath before being dragged into a restaurant by a bystander. Another man was seen crouching next to Lemalu's bloodied body inside the restaurant, attempting first aid while speaking to staff. Paramedics worked desperately to revive Lemalu, but he could not be saved.
Background of Lorenzo Lemalu
Lemalu was a former member of Proper 60, a western Sydney-based gang linked to the Alameddines and led by Ali Younes, also known as Ay Huncho. Lemalu had the group's name tattooed across his stomach. It is understood he fell out with the Alameddines after fleeing Australia four years ago and began directing the Coconut Cartel's activities from South-East Asia. The Coconut Cartel is a breakaway gang locked in an underworld feud with the Alameddines over control of the Sydney drug scene.
Recent Sightings
Photos emerged online last November of Lemalu eating a gold-leafed steak in Dubai, and he was pictured in Albania just last month. Messages obtained by SCN Worldstar, reportedly sent by members of the Alameddine network, suggest they claimed credit for the execution. 'That's what happens when Coconuts try (and) fight the people that made them,' one message read. However, not everyone believes the execution is linked to Sydney's gangland wars, which have seen a series of firebombings and drive-by shootings in recent months. 'The big rumour is they ripped off some Albanians and that's why he was killed,' a gangster living overseas told the Daily Telegraph.
Broader Context
There are grave fears that the killing could be the latest chapter in Sydney's ongoing gang wars and might spark revenge attacks. The shooting occurred just two nights after Alai Ahio, 28, a former associate of the rap group OneFour, was shot dead in what police described as a targeted attack in south-west Sydney. Ahio was at a Canley Heights home with four other men when they were ambushed by at least two attackers armed with guns and knives on Tuesday night. He was driven to Liverpool Hospital, where he died shortly after. Four other men were injured but survived. The attackers fled in a white SUV and remain at large.
