Kickboxer Omar Bchinnati was warned he should make a discreet exit through a side door at the Melbourne Pavilion last Friday evening.

There had been months of tensions, punctured with drive-bys and arson attacks, and Mr Bchinnati had been vulnerable since a close associate was jailed early last year.

But it was fight night, with several Middle-Eastern boxers on the card. Mick Gatto, Toby Mitchell and Jake King had ringside tables at the Kensington venue. The Haddaras – whose notorious spat with Chaouks set off a spate of shootings in 2009 – were also there to support Waleed Haddara in his light heavyweight stoush with Zac Cotten.

Mick Gatto collects his car from Melbourne Pavilion the day after the shooting. Credit:AAP/James Ross

More than a few of those sitting inside were nervous when Bchinnati showed up. The tit-for-tat displays of force he was involved in with Brunswick brothers the El Nashers was well-known and his presence at the bout was likely to be incendiary.