Notorious Melbourne underworld figure who rebranded himself as a 'business consultant' is arrested over alleged extortion plot in Dubai
Amad 'Jay' Malkoun has been arrested in Dubai over his alleged connection to an extortion plot.
- Amad 'Jay' Malkoun has been arrested in Dubai
- He was once a powerful bikie leader in Australia
- READ MORE: Rebel bikie gang president's cause of death is revealed
By ZAK WHEELER, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA
Published: 14:21 GMT, 4 January 2026 | Updated: 14:56 GMT, 4 January 2026
A notorious underworld figure-turned-author has been detained in the United Arab Emirates for allegedly taking part in an extortion scheme.
The former head of the Comanchero bikie gang in Victoria, Amad 'Jay' Malkoun, has been detained in Dubai.
Malkoun, 62, recently reinvented himself as a writer following his criminal career, with a memoir titled 'The Consultant'.
Consular assistance is being provided to the family of an Australian detained in Dubai, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told The Age.
'Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.'
Malkoun retired from his position as the alleged leader of the bikie gang in 2013.
However, trouble seemed to have followed him when in 2015, while in Thailand, an associate of his was abducted and murdered. He then survived after he was targeted by a car-bombing in Greece in 2019.
Later, he relocated to Dubai in order to 'pursue international interests' as he wrote in his 2024 book. In the cover notes, he referred to himself as being 'a negotiator of multi-million dollar deals in both the boardroom and the backroom'.
Amad 'Jay' Malkoun (right) has been arrested in Dubai over his connection to an alleged extortion scheme, The Age reports
Malkoun used to be the head of a bikie gang in Melbourne before stepping down in 2013
Malkoun had been credited as a driving force behind the resurgence of the Comancheros in Victoria before stepping back from the role.
Years after publicly leaving the role, an explosive device was planted in his Mercedes-Benz which was detonated as Malkoun left a gym in Athens, Greece.
No one has ever been arrested over the attack.
Malkoun is known to have fostered an extensive criminal network across Asia and Europe.
This includes in Russia where he had a founding role in the establishment of a Comanchero chapter in that country.
Despite Malkoun's shady past he is understood to have been permitted to move to the United Arab Emirates due to his high-reaching connections in the country.