At least two people were killed along with a lone gunman – a suspected Islamic extremist – during a lengthy Australian hostage drama Monday in Sydney.
The hostage-taker who held captive staff workers and customers during the incident at a chocolatier shop in Sydney’s financial district has been identified as a self-styled Muslim cleric named Man Haron Monis, aka Sheikh Haron.
A total of 17 hostages were taken during the 15-hour siege at the Lindt Chocolate Café – with two dying in the incident. A police officer suffered gunshot wounds to his face but was reported in good condition.
Authorities said the lone gunman - a gun and an Islamic flag - was killed during a confrontation with police after officers moved in to end the drama. The assault on the business is being described as a lone-wolf attack, marking a new chapter in Australia, which until recently has remained largely untouched by terror threats on home soil.
During the siege, hostages were reportedly forced to press their hands up against the café glass and hold up a flag that appears to belong to Jabhat al-Nusra, a splinter group of Al Qaeda with links to ISIS.
Australian authorities said Monis had a sketchy criminal past. He pleaded guilty in 2013 to writing relatives of Australian military men, calling them “Hitler’s soldiers.” The same year he was charged with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife, and according to Australian news reports he was free on bail.
In April 2014, sex crimes detectives arrested and charged him with sexually assaulting a woman in 2002, with six additional victims later emerging.
Comments