Ex-SAS officer uncontactable ahead of Masood Zakaria extradition hearing
An ex-SAS officer who brought alleged crime boss Masood Zakaria to Sydney has disappeared before testifying.
Masood Zakaria, 33, allegedly leads a crime gang. Masood Zakaria faces murder charges in NSW for 2021 killings.
Masood Zakaria was deported from Turkey in 2023 and brought to Australia by private security contractors, including ex-SAS officer Nathan Heckel. Zakaria's lawyers say the deportation was unlawful.
They call it a kidnapping. Zakaria's lawyers want murder charges dismissed and the case permanently stopped.
Now Heckel is uncontactable days before he must give evidence in court. If the court agrees the deportation broke the law, Zakaria could walk free.
This would be the first time in NSW that someone accused of murder avoided trial because of unlawful police action.
Why it mattersA missing witness could determine whether an alleged major Sydney crime boss walks free on legal grounds or faces trial for murder.
AustraliaNSW legal system faces a precedent-setting case that could reshape how authorities bring suspects back from overseas.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
Open this story in InSnip →
