A man charged with the murder of a father outside a Western Sydney gym last month was arrested attempting to board a flight to Vietnam, police say.
Taha Sabbagh was shot dead about 6:30am on March 2, shortly after pulling into the car park of the Elite Fight Force gym on Carlingford Street in Sefton.
The 40-year-old was shot up to 10 times while sitting in his car next to his 12-year-old son.
Homicide Squad Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said police would allege Le Nghia Andy Pham, 26, obtained his passport a short time after the shooting.
"That obviously raised the flag for us to make sure he was not going to flee the country," he said.
"He was going to be away for some extended period of time."
Superintendent Doherty said police would allege that while Mr Pham was not the gunman, "he was completely complicit".
"He played an active role in facilitating this murder. We are not alleging he was the shooter ... but what we are saying is again, from all his actions, he might as well have been."
Police allege that a week before the incident he placed a second getaway car — a silver Volkswagen Golf stolen in January and fitted with cloned number plates — in the nearby suburb of Birrong.
On the day of the shooting, police allege Mr Pham drove at least two people to a Mazda 3 parked at the gym and used in the killing.
The car was then driven to the location of the Volkswagen Golf, and later torched.
Police allege those responsible for the murder then drove the Volkswagen Golf to an address in Bankstown where they met up with Mr Pham.
"[Mr Pham] was actively in the area waiting after the murder for the arrival of the Volkswagen to a Bankstown address," Superintendent Doherty said.
"And then drove those people responsible for actually shooting to another location."
He said that car was also burnt out in another area.
Police believe the attack was targeted as part of an organised crime network, and may have been a case of "mistaken identity".
Superintendent Doherty confirmed this was still an active line of inquiry.
At the time, the police officers said it was "horrendous" that a young child witnessed his father being shot dead.
"It's a sickening feeling. [The offenders are] callous, brazen and have little disregard for human life."
Mr Pham was arrested at Sydney Airport about 3:30pm on Sunday and later charged with murder as part of a joint criminal enterprise.
He did not apply for bail when his case was briefly mentioned before Downing Centre Local Court on Monday.
