Sydney underworld figure Masood Zakaria 'blacklisted' before alleged kidnapping, court told
Masood Zakaria has launched an unprecedented legal challenge to have murder charges thrown out, The Age, Brisbane Times, WA Today and The Sydney Morning Herald reported on 21 October. The reports described him as a Sydney underworld kingpin. A court was told he had been 'blacklisted' before an alleged kidnapping. The reports used here do not give the court's ruling. They do not set out the full detail of the murder charges.
A bid to have murder charges thrown out before trial tests whether the prosecution case can proceed. The outcome decides whether the matter goes to a jury.
For most readers there is no direct effect, but the case is being followed because of its links to organised crime in Sydney.
The defence challenge, as reported, argues the murder charges should be thrown out and has been described as unprecedented.
The evidence the court heard, including that Zakaria had been blacklisted before the alleged kidnapping, is part of the case the prosecution may rely on.
Confirmed: the legal challenge and the court evidence on blacklisting. Not confirmed: the ruling or the outcome of the charges. Watch for the court's decision.
DailyDrop Australia edition No. 18 · Morning · THU., OCT. 22, 2026