Australian police locked down the centre of the country’s biggest city yesterday after an armed man walked into a downtown Sydney cafe, took hostages and forced them to display an Islamic flag, igniting fears of a jihadist attack.
The man was named as Man Haron Monis, an Iranian refugee convicted of sexual assault and known for sending hate letters to the families of Australian soldiers killed overseas.
The Iranian refugee and self-styled sheikh, remained holed up in the cafe some 15 hours after the siege began.
“There’s no operational reason for that name to be held back by us now,” said a police source, who declined to be identified.
Police, including paramilitary officers, cordoned off several blocks around the cafe as negotiators tried to defuse one of the biggest security scares in Australia for decades.
Snipers and a SWAT team took up positions around the cafe and police helicopters flew overhead.
At least five hostages escaped since the midmorning siege began, with panicked cafe workers and customers seen running into the arms of paramilitary police.
About 15 hostages could still be seen inside the cafe, said Chris Reason, a reporter at Channel Seven, whose office is opposite the cafe.
“From inside Martin Place newsroom we can see gunman is rotating hostages, forcing them to stand against windows, sometimes two hours at a time,” Reason said on Twitter.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who has warned of militant plans to strike Australian targets, said there were indications the hostage-taking was politically motivated.
Australia, a staunch ally of the United States and its escalating action against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, is on high alert for attacks by home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East.
News footage showed hostages holding up a black and white flag displaying the Shahada – a testament to the faith of Muslims. The flag has been popular among Sunni Islamist militant groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
The incident forced the evacuation of nearby buildings and sent shockwaves around the country.
In September, anti-terrorism police said they had thwarted an imminent threat to behead a random member of the public and, days later, a teenager in the city of Melbourne was shot dead after attacking two anti-terrorism officers with a knife.
Dozens of armed police surrounded the cafe after the siege began around 9.45am yesterday. The area is home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, commercial banks and close to the New South Wales state parliament.
“I walked up to the door and then everyone was sitting down and the door’s locked which is pretty weird because it’s never locked and there was one guy walking around with a hat and a beard,” a man who identified himself as Bruno, a worker at the cafe, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp, referring to the suspected assailant. He said he then turned away.
The Reserve Bank of Australia said staff had been locked down inside the building and were all safe. The nearby US consulate was also evacuated, according to an embassy spokeswoman, along with the Sydney Opera House.
Tourists were being let back into the world-famous venue by early afternoon.
India’s parliamentary affairs minister said an Indian IT professional may be among the hostages.
Major banks closed their offices in the central business district and people were told to avoid the area.
Muslim leaders urged calm, with the Australian National Imams Council condemning “this criminal act unequivocally” in a joint statement with the Grand Mufti of Australia. Traders in currency markets said the hostage news may have contributed to a dip in the Australian dollar.
Ray Hadley, a radio disc jockey, said he had been contacted by a hostage and could hear the suspected gunman issuing orders in the background.
Police declined to comment.
Network 10 reported that two female hostages had called with claims from the gunman that two bombs were planted elsewhere in the city.
Police said they were aware of media reports but said the “situation is contained in one area”. — Reuters
Terror strikes heart of Sydney
The man was named as Man Haron Monis, an Iranian refugee convicted of sexual assault and known for sending hate letters to the families of Australian soldiers killed overseas.
The Iranian refugee and self-styled sheikh, remained holed up in the cafe some 15 hours after the siege began.
“There’s no operational reason for that name to be held back by us now,” said a police source, who declined to be identified.
Police, including paramilitary officers, cordoned off several blocks around the cafe as negotiators tried to defuse one of the biggest security scares in Australia for decades.
Snipers and a SWAT team took up positions around the cafe and police helicopters flew overhead.
At least five hostages escaped since the midmorning siege began, with panicked cafe workers and customers seen running into the arms of paramilitary police.
About 15 hostages could still be seen inside the cafe, said Chris Reason, a reporter at Channel Seven, whose office is opposite the cafe.
“From inside Martin Place newsroom we can see gunman is rotating hostages, forcing them to stand against windows, sometimes two hours at a time,” Reason said on Twitter.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who has warned of militant plans to strike Australian targets, said there were indications the hostage-taking was politically motivated.
Australia, a staunch ally of the United States and its escalating action against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, is on high alert for attacks by home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East.
News footage showed hostages holding up a black and white flag displaying the Shahada – a testament to the faith of Muslims. The flag has been popular among Sunni Islamist militant groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
The incident forced the evacuation of nearby buildings and sent shockwaves around the country.
In September, anti-terrorism police said they had thwarted an imminent threat to behead a random member of the public and, days later, a teenager in the city of Melbourne was shot dead after attacking two anti-terrorism officers with a knife.
Dozens of armed police surrounded the cafe after the siege began around 9.45am yesterday. The area is home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, commercial banks and close to the New South Wales state parliament.
“I walked up to the door and then everyone was sitting down and the door’s locked which is pretty weird because it’s never locked and there was one guy walking around with a hat and a beard,” a man who identified himself as Bruno, a worker at the cafe, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp, referring to the suspected assailant. He said he then turned away.
The Reserve Bank of Australia said staff had been locked down inside the building and were all safe. The nearby US consulate was also evacuated, according to an embassy spokeswoman, along with the Sydney Opera House.
Tourists were being let back into the world-famous venue by early afternoon.
India’s parliamentary affairs minister said an Indian IT professional may be among the hostages.
Major banks closed their offices in the central business district and people were told to avoid the area.
Muslim leaders urged calm, with the Australian National Imams Council condemning “this criminal act unequivocally” in a joint statement with the Grand Mufti of Australia. Traders in currency markets said the hostage news may have contributed to a dip in the Australian dollar.
Ray Hadley, a radio disc jockey, said he had been contacted by a hostage and could hear the suspected gunman issuing orders in the background.
Police declined to comment.
Network 10 reported that two female hostages had called with claims from the gunman that two bombs were planted elsewhere in the city.
Police said they were aware of media reports but said the “situation is contained in one area”. — Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos