What are the taskforce’s tactics?

The taskforce is modelled on Taskforce Erebus,which was set up in May last year to probe gangland shootings.

The taskforce has resulted in a number of arrests over the killing of Mahmoud “Brownie” Ahmad,his nephew Rami Iskander and Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu.

Taskforce Magnus will emulate Erebus’s tactics,Hudson said,which included more than 1400 firearm prohibition order inspections,talking to individuals on the street,and “kicking in doors” when required. Hudson said those strategies had stopped seven planned killings when police intercepted and arrested the would-be shooter – or their victim – before the attack could take place.

Who’s running the taskforce?

Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Weinstein,the head of the State Crime Command,will run the taskforce.

Weinstein has 30 years’ experience in the NSW Police and formed the Raptor Squad,the specialist force tasked with busting outlaw bikie gangs.

In 2019,Weinstein was named commander of the Fairfield Police Area Command,overseeing three police stations and more than 300 officers and staff in the western Sydney suburb.

Why was the taskforce set up?

Deadly public shootings have bloodied Sydney streets in recent years as a gangland war rages over the drug trade. The killing of two women,which alarmed police last year,and a daylight attack this week on high-profile lawyer Mahmoud Abbas,are signs of escalating violence.

Despite the brazen and often public nature of recent shootings,police have made few arrests and a number of attackers are still on the run. Top cops admitted a refusal from criminal groups involved in the violence to speak to investigators – including victims – has stymied attempts to investigate and halt the violence.

The main remit of Taskforce Magnus will be to crack that wall of silence in the hopes of stopping the killings.

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