“Even though we believe last night was a targeted attack,as I’ve indicated,good people could have got hurt last night and that’s a major concern to us.”

Superintendent Adam Johnson,police commander in the Auburn area,said:“It’s a very serious incident. This behaviour won’t be tolerated.”

Members of the Hamze family live at the townhouse complex and police are preparing to carry out searches and speak to informants as they investigate the shooting.

“They[the Hamzes] are residents of that location along with a number of others. Sometimes the actual purpose or reason for these shootings is not easily known from the outset,so our investigations are ongoing,” Mr Hudson said.

Police were told at least two men dressed in black got out of their vehicle near the townhouse driveway and fired several rounds.

Ibrahim Hamze,the cousin of notorious Brothers 4 Life founder Bassam Hamzy,is one of four underworld figures subject to serious crime prevention orders imposed by the Supreme Court in December.

The rarely-used orders,which imposed strict controls on people’s activities and communications,were sought by NSW Police to curb what they described in court as anincreasingly violent cycle of retribution between the Hamzy and Alameddine families.

The orders prevent the men from using phones not authorised by police and encrypted communications,possessing more than $10,000 in cash and interacting with various known associates and rivals.

Investigators believe the Hamze-Alameddine dispute escalated following a suspected theft of drugs. Fears about the feud peaked when Mejid Hamzy – a cousin of Ibrahim and brother of Bassam – was shot dead outside his home in Condell Park on October 19.

According to evidence heard in the Supreme Court,detectives identified Ibrahim Hamze as one of three assailants who attacked an Alameddine associate on October 14 in Sefton.