At 10:00 AM on May 26, Lieutenant General Mai Hoang, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security, chaired a press conference to provide details regarding a shooting incident in Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, which left one foreigner dead and another injured.

The press conference on Tuesday morning was also attended by leaders of professional units under the Ministry of Public Security and the Tay Ninh Provincial Police Department.

The shooting occurred on the evening of May 21 in the central area of Ho Chi Minh City, resulting in particularly severe consequences. After committing the crime, the two suspects fled the scene, took a taxi to the area near Co.opmart supermarket in Trang Bang (Tay Ninh Province), and got out of the vehicle.

The Ho Chi Minh City Police immediately coordinated with professional units of the Ministry of Public Security and Tay Ninh Police to successfully track down and arrest the suspects.

Previously, on May 22, the Trang Bang Ward Police in Tay Ninh Province issued an urgent notice seeking two foreign suspects believed to be involved in the shooting. Initial verification showed that after fleeing HCMC, the two individuals traveled by taxi to Tay Ninh. Recognizing them as highly dangerous suspects, law enforcement concentrated their forces to urgently track them down.

The case is currently being further investigated and clarified by the Ministry of Public Security and the Ho Chi Minh City Police.

Lieutenant General Mai Hoang, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Police, speaks about mobilizing 1,000 police officers to solve the case. Video: Quoc Thang

Coconut Cartel tribute to leader slain in Vietnam shooting as local police arrest two men

There’s been a major update after the cold-blooded assassination of a Sydney underworld figure outside a packed seafood restaurant in Vietnam.

Two suspects have reportedly been arrested after the cold-blooded execution of Sydney underworld figure Lorenzo Lemalu in Vietnam.

Lemalu, an associate-turned-enemy of the Alameddine crime network, was fatally shot outside a seafood restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City last Thursday night, local time.

CCTV footage of the hit showed a man wearing a cap and face mask approach the group Lemalu, 24, was standing with before shooting at close range.

In the aftermath of the shooting, authorities named Vietnamese-Australian Lang Kenny Trong Minh Do, 33, and Aussie citizen John Justin White, 38 as suspects wanted for questioning.

On Monday, local media reported two suspects linked to the shooting had been arrested.

“Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security said on May 25 that two individuals connected to the shooting incident in Ho Chi Minh City had been taken into custody,” DTiNews reported.

“Investigators are continuing to verify details of the case and carry out further legal proceedings.”

It’s unclear if the individuals arrested are Mr Do and Mr White.

Lorenzo Lemalu was standing outside a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City when the shooter (white cap) approached.
Chilling footage emerges as ally issues tribute to “true warrior”

Lemalu died on the restaurant floor despite the frantic efforts of first responders while his associate Sam Sauni was also critically wounded.

Chilling new footage captured the final moments of the gangster as he crashed into the restaurant, attempting to crawl forward before collapsing in a pool of his own blood.

On Sunday night a man police suspect is a senior member of the cartel, the fugitive Anthony Pele, published a tribute to Lemalu – who he called “The Coconut” – on social media.

“A true warrior and a true man in my eyes,” the post seen by news.com.au read before it was deleted.

“We regularly discussed accepting the fact that death or jail awaits us, but there is no going back on the decision of waging war against oppressors who thought they could walk all over us…

“You lived with honour and died with honour.”

Anthony Pele (left) with Lorenzo Lemalu. Picture: Instagram

Lemalu was affectionately called The Coconut in Pele’s post. Picture: Supplied
Pele last month shared a picture of him dining with Lemalu in a post tagged as being in Albania.

Lemalu was known to be close to high-ranking Alameddine figures before a major conflict arose within the powerful crime network, splitting it in two.

His new gang declared war on the notorious crime family in January, with the Coconut Cartel threatening to “chalk out every Alameddine” as the streets of southwest Sydney erupted into a series of public place shootings and firebombings.

Two Australian men are wanted for questioning in Vietnam over the murder. Picture: Supplied
Rumours swirl about who ordered hit

Rumours have swirled in the underworld over who ordered the hit on Lemalu, and whether it was linked to the Alameddine feud or possibly overseas criminal entities.

Pele’s Instagram page revealed links between the Coconut Cartel and a ruthless Asian syndicate suspected of involvement in the kidnapping and murder of a Sydney mum last year.

He proudly declares loyalty to The Final Crime Family, the Vietnam-based syndicate police believe was behind the alleged murder of Thi Kim Tran in April 2025 and a separate plot to kill a man outside a Sydney daycare in October.

Metadata showed Pele’s Instagram account, which has since been deleted, was based in Vietnam.

Lorenzo Lemalu (right) was previously close to rapper Ali “Ay Huncho” Younes, who police allege is a senior figure in the Alameddines. Picture: Supplied
It has been rumoured the Coconut Cartel was being bankrolled by an Asian crime syndicate, with Pele’s social media appearing to confirm a close relationship between the two groups.

Pele is wanted in NSW for the alleged murder of innocent man Ahmed Al Azzam, 25, at Greenacre in 2023 in what police believe was a mistaken-identity shooting.

He was previously associated with the Haouchar organised crime network and his name has also cropped up in investigations into the alleged plot to kill a high-ranking Comanchero bikie figure and the alleged plan to rob a Sydney apartment where police found $1 billion worth of cocaine.

Anthony Pele has been openly posting on Instagram while on the run. Picture: Supplied

Lorenzo Lemalu’s death has rocked the underworld. Picture: Supplied
It is believed Pele fled the country soon after Mr Azzam’s death, and he has been posting openly on social media for months about his travels and the underworld war.

His posts also revealed a friendship with gangland figure “Danny” Hyunh, who died in suspicious circumstances after falling from a high-rise building in Vietnam last year.

Pele also paid tribute to Mal Seve, a former Inner West Brotherhood gang member was shot dead at Blacktown in Sydney’s west in December.

In one post, Pele wrote Seve’s death was “my fault and mine alone for standing up against tyrants and oppressors”.

“Innocent associates are now targeted, due to cowards who won’t dare go toe to toe with myself or our people.”