The Sydney-based family of prominent Iraqi politician Ahmed Al Asadi was allegedly attacked and threatened as part of a global extortion plot uncovered by police in Sydney and Canada.
Mr Al Assad, also spelled al-Assadi, came to Australia as a refugee fleeing the regime of Saddam Hussein and worked as a taxi driver in Sydney but has since returned to Iraq to pursue his political career. His wife and five children remain in Sydney.Police established a strike force to investigate the violent attacks that started in December 2019 when four masked intruders, one armed with a gun, entered the family home about 1.15am, assaulted a 16-year-old boy and stole cash.
The family also received threats online and detectives linked the messages to address in Canada and involved local police in the investigation.