Australian police have charged two men over an alleged plot to kill members of the rap group OneFour.
Police said the two men, named in reports as Brandon Maseuli and Yousef Rima, had conspired to murder “four high-profile men from Sydney’s northwest on behalf of another network”, according to the BBC.
The targets were identified as OneFour members Jerome ‘J Emz’ Misa, Pio ‘YP’ Misa, Spencer ‘Spenny’ Magalogo and Dahcell ‘Celly’ Ramos. It is not known why fifth member, Salec ‘Lekks’ Su’a, was not targeted.
Maseuli and Rima were arrested in Sydney today (January 11), with charges including conspiracy to murder, kidnapping, directing a criminal group, and various drug and robbery-related offences.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the plot is thought to have stemmed from a conflict between the rappers and the group that were alleged to have hired the criminal syndicate’s Sydney cell.
Two others are being pursued to potentially face charges, while a fifth – who is already wanted in relation to the shooting of three people in connection to Sydney’s cocaine war – is also wanted over alleged links.
The alleged plot was foiled as part of a bigger investigation. “They’d done surveillance on the intended victims; they’re following the intended victims on social media. They are extremely committed and are extremely organised,” Detective Superintendent Peter Faux, head of the organised crime squad, said (via SMH).
“We’ve seized firearms which were intended to be used in this plot. We’ve seized stolen motor vehicles which they had stolen and placed in respect to using in the intended murder.”
Both suspects appeared before the Liverpool Local Court today, following a 6am raid, and were refused bail.
OneFour have had their own controversies with the police in recent years. NSW Police previously admitted on the record that they tried, successfully, to shut down OneFour’s Australian tour in 2019 over safety concerns.
The group have previously strenuously denied allegations of affiliations with criminal “gangs”.
The group’s lyrics have also drawn suspicion, with NSW Police previously citing violent references as a reason why the group shouldn’t be allowed to perform.
Speaking to NME back in 2020, Spenny said of their EP ‘Against All Odds’: “We’ve gone through things that have changed our music and so we’re not just rapping about the same things as before.”