Key witness in Masood Zakaria extradition case cannot be located before trial
A former SAS officer who helped return alleged crime boss Masood Zakaria to Sydney is uncontactable days before he is slated to testify.
Documents submitted to the court indicate that Nathan Heckel, a former SAS officer who was part of the team that brought Masood Zakaria back to Sydney, could not be located before his appearance as a witness. Zakaria, charged with the 2021 murders of Salim and Toufik Hamzy, claims his 2023 deportation from Türkiye was unlawful and is asking for a permanent stay of the charges. One outlet spent more than $1 million on Hart International, a security firm linked to the operation, to escort Zakaria.
Court papers note that attempts to serve Heckel failed and his online profiles disappeared, with a process server hearing he might be in Iraq. Senior figures such as one outlet Commissioner Krissy Barrett, former commissioner Reece Kershaw, and NSW Police officers Jason Weinstein and Grant Taylor are slated to give evidence about the extradition.
