Martin Place Hostage Situation (3 Viewers)

[turntaker]

Tomorrow's Telegraph


A SELF-styled sheik and preacher of Islamic State on bail for accessory to murder is the gunman who was last night holding 15 terrified hostages in Sydney's Lindt cafe.

The revelations came after a day of unprecedented horror in Sydney's heart, with the first Islamic attack hitting NSW soil. The 49-year-old, originally from Iran who now lives in southwest Sydney, had previously sent offensive letters to the families of dead Australian soldiers, calling them murderers, and earlier this year was charged with sexual assault.

Armed with a shotgun and a flag linked to extremist groups, the radical Islamic preacher burst into the cafe at 9.45am, taking up to 20 hostages. Just five hostages had escaped the cafe by 8.30pm.

Workers in nearby buildings were evacuated or locked down and ordered away from windows as heavily armed police moved into Martin Place.

CONTINUED PAGE 2

Gunman identified as IS

FROM PAGE 1 Terrified hostages were forced to hold the Islamic flag bearing the words: "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger".

The gunman, who arrived in Australia as a refugee in 1996, forced his hostages to the windows to act as human shields and in calls from the cafe they referred to him as "The Brother".

He was charged with being an accessory before and after the fact to the murder of his ex-wife, allegedly stabbed and set alight in a stairwell of her Sydney apartment complex.

His current partner was charged with murder. The couple was given bail in Penrith Local Court, with Magistrate Darryl Pearce saying the Crown's case was weak.

Then in March this year the selfstyled preacher was arrested and charged with sexually and indecently assaulting a young woman in NSW for "spiritual healing" in 2002.

His alleged victim, 27 at the time, allegedly saw an advertisement for "spiritual consultation'' in a local newspaper and contacted him He told her he was an expert in astrology, numerology, meditation and black magic and advised her to visit his clinic.

One theory being investigated by intelligence officials was the Lindt cafe was not his primary target and that he rushed in there after being spooked by members of the public who alerted police to his behaviour.

The suspected terrorist had previously been detained on suspicion of terrorism-related offences, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.

Senior intelligence sources confirmed that the man was known to authorities and had been detained and questioned earlier this year.

Last night the government confirmed to The Daily Telegraph that the man was known to security agencies but would not elaborate.

It was not clear last night whether he was on a national security watch list but some members of the intelligence community questioned how he slipped through the net.

How did you know

 

[obliviousninja]

Respect to the unfortuanate man who died as a hero in trying to snatch away the gun.

 

[BLIT2014]

Reporter Sarah Farnsworth is at the exclusion zone in Martin Place:

"Well people are going about their business, I think they're trying to come to terms with exactly what happened. People are walking past, they're stopping, they're looking down the street, some of them seem to be a little bit bewildered, are in just a little bit of shock really. There's still people standing around on the pavement next to me just staring down the street, probably just trying to come to terms with what's happened. In the very heart of their think city, this to some people must be extremely personal."



10:05am: The family of Noleen Hayson Pal, the slain ex-wife of the Sydney siege gunman, have expressed their anger that he was not behind bars, writes Melanie Kembrey.

Man Haron Monis, 50, who was shot dead by police in the early hours of Tuesday morning, was on bail after being charged with being an accessory before and after the fact to the 2013 murder of Pal.

Pal's brother Talat Khalik, who lives in California, posted a series of furious comments about Monis on Facebook.

"Thats systems tere f***d up but im still happy he.died [sic]," Mr Khalik posted on his Facebook page.

Read more here.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-si...l-furious-gunman-on-bail-20141215-127z7s.html

 

[BLIT2014]

Twitter
NSW Police
@nswpolice
#mythbuster #hoaxalert This message is circulating on social media. NSW Police has received no such reports. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B47sZJvCcAADMXp.jpg

 

[BLIT2014]

47s ago
10:18
Tony Abbott saying it will take time to know the motive of gunman Man Haron Monis in the Sydney cafe siege.

''He had a long history of violent crime, infatuation with extremism and mental instability.''

 

[BLIT2014]

Keysar Trad from the Islamic Friendship Association spoke with ABC News 24 about what he knows of Man Haron Monis.

"When the name was released, immediately we knew who the person was. He was a person who was on the fringe, not part of the community. Seemed to have been rejected by both Sunni and Shiite branches of the community. After we heard about his initial letters we condemned them very clearly in the media many years ago and after that a meeting took place between myself and him and I told him at that time that what he was doing was wrong and unacceptable and he seemed to hang his head down and say 'Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't understand the repercussions', but then we lost contact with him."

 

[BLIT2014]

Chris Urquhart @chrisurquhart · 7m 7 minutes ago
PREMIER ARRIVES: NSW Premier Mike Baird is now visiting the memorial.

 

[MrInoeverthin]

Respect to the unfortuanate man who died as a hero in trying to snatch away the gun.

He was brave for doing so. My heart goes out to their families whom have to put up with all this grief and sorrow.

 

[BLIT2014]

Keysar Trad:

"I don't believe it is related to what we know as terrorism, what we know internationally as terrorism. This is the action of a nutter, someone who was mentally disturbed, who needed mental care. I know in Australia we appreciate the need for mental care. I think the Howard government put in about $8 billion to deal with mental care issues in the country. I'm not sure if this was flagged by authorities when he was arrested in previous times but if it wasn't it should have been. He clearly was not behaving in a normal manner or what we expect to be normal in Australian society or in a civilised society."
by Clayton Bloom 10:28 AM

Keysar Trad continues:

"When I saw the images on TV yesterday I couldn't recognise him because the beard had gone, the headgear had gone, didn't look anything like the person. If I'd known it was him we could have, I'm sure if any of the leaders would have gone in there he would have hung his head down and realised how wrong he was. As his lawyer said, this man is damaged goods, he comes across as a person with a mental illness, a serious mental illness but of course we didn't know who he was until his name was released this morning."

 

[BLIT2014]

Chris Reason, of Seven News, offers a different narrative. From his vantage point in the Seven News studios overlooking the cafe he says he saw the gunman split the hostages into two groups. While he was focused on one group the other group bolted out the door.
The thwarted hostage taker then turned his weapon on the remaining captives and started firing. A police sniper called out over the radio: "Window two, hostage down" and moments later the armed squad burst in the door.

 

[BLIT2014]

Trends · Change
#sydneysiege
#illridewithyou
#edchat
#PrayForSydney
Tori Johnson
Sony
#MartinPlaceSiege
Camille Cosby
D'Angelo
Man Haron Monis



Current twitter trends

 

[BLIT2014]

A fire and rescue Hazmat support vehicle is now at the Lindt cafe. @9NewsSyd

 

[BLIT2014]

14s ago
10:41
New York Police Department counter terrorism bureau is sending officers to Sydney in the wake of the siege.



People are being told to look after their mental health and keep an eye on their children in the wake of Sydney cafe siege.

NSW police have released a lengthy statement urging people to look after themselves:

Many people will have found the events at Martin Place this week distressing or emotionally challenging. People can react in a variety of ways to these experiences.
Many people may experience sadness, sleep disturbance, fear or anxiety. It is important to understand that many competent, healthy, strong people will have similar feelings, or responses. The response may be experienced immediately or sometimes much later.
Having distressing thoughts and feelings after such events is normal and not a sign of personal weakness. However, when these responses persist or significantly impact on your ability to return to your usual activities it may be necessary to seek additional supports.
In particular, children absorb the tension, uncertainty, confusion and fear around them following traumatic events. Try to create a sense of calm. Reassure children that they are safe and that there is someone there to take care of them, the statement said.

People are being encouraged to talk it over with others and if issues persist to talk to a GP or health care provider.

In NSW you can contact your local mental health service via the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511.

Further information and resources are available at:

http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/emergency_prepa…/…/default.aspx

For specific information on how to support children in response to this event, please see the following resource prepared by the Australian Child and Adolescent Trauma, Loss and Grief Network:

http://helpingkidswithtrauma.blogspot.com.au/

 

[PakiPrince]

Respect to the unfortuanate man who died as a hero in trying to snatch away the gun.

Its always funny how these hero stories prop up, and how a lot of people blindly believe them without any solid evidence they actually occurred lol.

 

[BLIT2014]

LisaMillar
@LisaMillar
NY police say they 'deployed resources' to possible 'targets' after #sydneysiege - Australian consulate and Lindt shops in Manhattan.

 

[BLIT2014]

The Sunshine Coast father of a Lindt employee caught up in the siege says he's relieved his daughter made it out alive, but is horrified at the loss of others.

Harriette Denny, 30, emerged from the cafe in the early hours of the morning with five other hostages, just before police moved into the cafe.

Robert Denny says his family spent an anxious night watching the events unfold on television but has now spoken with his daughter.

"I spoke with her twice today, maybe three times I can't remember and she's OK," he said.

"She's tired, she's relieved and she's distressed that her friend the duty manager didn't make it through, was killed."
by Clayton Bloom 10:53 AM

 

[BLIT2014]

Heres' one response from former Sydney Morning Herald columnist Mike Carlton:
MikeCarlton01 Mike Carlton
@rupertmurdoch Your rotten, lying Daily Telegraph called this an IS Death Cult Attack. Shameful. You ought to hang your head..
About three hours ago via Twitter Web Client Favorite Retweet Reply

 

[nerdasdasd]

http://www.news.com.au/entertainmen...m-katrina-dawson/story-fnpilxz1-1227157787948

Dem feels.

 

[BLIT2014]

MikeCarlton01 Mike Carlton
@rupertmurdoch Your rotten, lying Daily Telegraph called this an IS Death Cult Attack. Shameful. You ought to hang your head..
About three hours ago via Twitter Web Client Favorite Retweet Reply

 

[BLIT2014]

Chris Urquhart ‏@chrisurquhart 6m6 minutes ago
Huge numbers of people continue to lay flowers to express their grief and sorrow. It began with this single bunch. pic.twitter.com/PPmhZZGowT