In short:
An ex-SAS officer who escorted an accused crime boss back to Sydney has become uncontactable days before he is due to give evidence, according to court documents.
Masood Zakaria, 33, was deported from Türkiye in 2023 after police issued a warrant for his arrest, but his lawyers argue the extradition was unlawful.
uncertain
extradition → escort → arrest
The court is expected to hear from multiple witnesses, including Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett.
asserted
court → expect → Barrett
An ex-SAS officer involved in an accused Sydney gangster's contested extradition to Australia is uncontactable, days before he is due to give evidence, a court has been told.
asserted
court → involve → evidence
Alleged Alameddine crime family boss Masood Zakaria claims in court documents former soldier Nathan Heckel is a key witness, in his attempt to have murder charges dismissed.
uncertain
charges → claim → attempt
Mr Zakaria was charged with the 2021 murders of Salim and Toufik Hamzy and was later apprehended in Türkiye in 2023.
asserted
Zakaria → charge → 2023
Mr Zakaria's lawyers have previously compared his ensuing deportation back to Australia as a "kidnapping" and are asking the court to permanently stay his charges.
asserted
lawyers → compare → charges
If successful, it could be the first time in New South Wales someone accused of murder has walked free due to a stay application brought on after alleged unlawful actions by law enforcement.
uncertain
someone → accuse → enforcement
AFP's $1m payment to contractor
Mr Heckel's connection to the case came to light in documents filed by Mr Zakaria's legal team last month after it emerged he was one of several private contractors from security company Hart International the Australian Federal Police (AFP) hired to escort Mr Zakaria to Sydney.
asserted
Police → come → Sydney
The Cyprus-based firm is part of a UK conglomerate of companies with a regional office in Sydney founded by former British SAS officer Lord Richard Westbury, who is not involved in the case.
asserted
who → base → case
The court documents said not long after attempts to reach Mr Heckel to give evidence were made, online profiles connected to him vanished.
asserted
profiles → say → him
Documents filed by Mr Zakaria said in further attempts to contact Mr Heckel, a process server who was sent to Mr Heckel's address was informed he may be in Iraq on business.
uncertain
he → file → business
In court last month, Mr Zakaria's lawyers said Mr Heckel was one of several people they alleged "kidnapped" him, who they were yet to locate.
asserted
they → say → who
The accused Sydney gangster claims the group picked him up at a Turkish airport and flew him back to Australia after Türkiye deported him.
uncertain
Türkiye → accuse → him
The court was previously told the group took photographs of Mr Zakaria handcuffed on a plane and sent it back to the AFP.
asserted
group → tell → AFP
In total, the AFP paid more than $1 million to Hart International to have Mr Zakaria brought back from Istanbul.
asserted
Zakaria → pay → Istanbul
AFP boss quizzed over use of private security firms
The case, scheduled to begin this week, is set to hear from some of the most senior crime fighters in Australia about what they knew about Mr Zakaria's deportation to Sydney.
asserted
they → quiz → Sydney
AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett, her predecessor Reece Kershaw and NSW Police's Jason Weinstein and Grant Taylor are expected to be called as witnesses.
asserted
Barrett → expect → witnesses
Documents tended in the case also showed how AFP officers celebrated Mr Zakaria's return to Australia in messages with their Turkish counterparts.
asserted
officers → tend → counterparts
Other messages in court documents detailed the AFP officers' fear of "anything shonky" being done by local police who arrested him in the quiet Turkish town of Muğla in January 2023.
asserted
who → detail → January
An AFP spokesperson declined to comment on Mr Heckel's role in the matter when contacted by the ABC.
asserted
spokesperson → decline → ABC
When asked on 702 ABC Sydney earlier this month about whether using private security firms was a regular approach, Commissioner Barrett lauded the agency's relationships with foreign law enforcement.
asserted
Barrett → ask → enforcement
"So we predominantly work with our law enforcement partners, and there are a number of examples where we have been able to extradite high-value targets back to Australia and put them before the courts,"she said.
asserted
we → work → courts,"she
"But also examples of where local law enforcement offshore have been able to take local action, which has had a disruptive impact on someone that's been having a very high impact on Australia."
asserted
that → take → Australia
Commissioner Barrett added: "We need to remember that these are high-value targets that are not just having an impact on our country, they're having an impact on a number of countries, including usually the country that they're living or residing in."
asserted
they → add → that
The Aporia