‘Ordinary kid who goes to the gym and runs an empire from his home’ charged over Melbourne firebombings

A 20-year-old man has been accused of orchestrating firebombings from his parents’ Essendon home, in a major breakthrough in Melbourne’s hospitality war.

Jesse Hadchiti allegedly used the alias “COMMBANK” to hire children to commit serious and violent crimes, helping to orchestrate a fiery war across Melbourne.

He was arrested about 8.30am on Tuesday and marched out of his parents’ home wearing slides and tracksuit pants.

“I also understand he self-described himself as just an ordinary kid who goes to the gym and runs an empire from his home,” Inspector Graham Banks alleged, before Hadchiti faced court on Tuesday evening.

Police allege the 20-year-old is the middle man between Australia and the Middle East, working for a serious organised crime syndicate called The Commission.

It was run by jailed Iraqi crime boss Kaz Hamad but a 23-year-old known as The Ghost has taken over the reins.

He was one of two teenagers who fled Australia after putting eight bullets into former Mongol Sam Abdulrahim in a botched assassination attack in Fawkner.

“The most problematic individual in relation to this offending is a person residing in the Middle East who currently we have an outstanding arrest warrant for in relation to the attempted murder of Sam Abdulrahim back in June of 2022,” Banks said.

It’s alleged The Ghost and Hadchiti are in direct contact.

Police don’t want to issue an Interpol red notice for The Ghost because he could face the death penalty in Iraq.

It’s alleged Hadchiti used encrypted apps with the handle @COMMBANK to recruit children to commit arson attacks at hospitality venues across Melbourne.

That’s allegedly also the case for a kidnapping in Malvern where a man was brutally beaten in a case of mistaken identity and plotting a home invasion in Doncaster.

“Police believe the matters that he is currently being interviewed for are the tip of the iceberg,” Banks said.

Hadchiti faced court on Tuesday night charged with a range of offences including aggravated home invasion with an offensive weapon, kidnapping, extortion with threats to kill, false imprisonment, common law assault, attempted aggravated home invasion, incitement to commit an indictable offence and recruiting a child to engage in criminal activity. 

They were linked to an incident in Malvern on April 14, another in Southbank on April 27 and a third in Doncaster on April 28.

He was wearing a grey hoodie and didn’t apply for bail.