Sydney Police Storm Cafe, End Standoff
by VOA News December 15, 2014
Australian police stormed a Sydney cafe, ending a 16-hour siege in which an unknown number of people were held hostage by an armed gunman who was known to authorities.
Several people believed to have been held captive managed to flee the scene just moments before heavy gunfire and loud bangs rang out shortly after 2 a.m. local time (1500GMT on Monday, Dec. 15).
Security forces in tactical gear were seen surrounding, then entering the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Sydney's central business district.
Once police ended the siege, several individuals taken from the cafe were rolled away on stretchers. Emergency workers could be seen performing chest compressions on one person outside the restaurant. There were unconfirmed reports of casualties.
Identity of gunman
Only minutes earlier, police had identified the gunman as Man Haron Monis, an Iranian refugee and a self-proclaimed Muslim cleric.
Monis has been charged with several counts of sexual assault and was found guilty in 2012 of sending offensive and threatening letters to the families of Australian soldiers killed overseas, according to Reuters and The Sydney Morning Herald.
The gunman was reportedly among two people killed at the scene.
While the New South Wales police confirmed that the siege was over, they would not confirm details of injuries or casualties.
Local media reported that Monis, who was known as Manteghi Bourjerdi before he changed his name, was 49 or 50 years old.
During the standoff, Monis was seen through a window of the cafe. He was wearing a white shirt with a black vest, and carrying some type of weapon.
New South Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione on Monday refused to call the situation a terrorist act. But Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the incident at the cafe may have been politically motivated.
Early in the crisis, hostages were seen standing with their hands pushed up against the windows. A black flag with the Islamic creed known as the Shahada written in white could be seen through the glass.
Area locked down
Nearby buildings, including the U.S. Consulate in Sydney, had been evacuated. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the department is monitoring the hostage situation and the mission's personnel are accounted for.
The New South Wales state parliament house is also just a few blocks away.
Officials also evacuated Sydney's famed Opera House several blocks away after a suspicious package was found there. Streets in the area were cordoned off and a train line under the restaurant was shut down.
The cafe is in the heart of Sydney's financial and shopping district, an area packed with holiday shoppers at this time of the year.
Terrorism threat
Australia, a staunch ally of the United States and its escalating action against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, earlier this year raised its domestic terror threat level from medium to high, mainly due to concerns about home-grown extremists.
About 70 Australians are thought to be fighting for militant groups in the Middle East.
In September, Australia's largest counterterror raids took place in Sydney and Brisbane. One person was charged with terror offenses.
Tough anti-terror laws were passed by the Australian parliament in October in response to the threat of homegrown extremism.
Phil Mercer contributed to this report from Sydney. Some material for this report came from Reuters, AFP and AP.
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