USA TodayA tense, 16-hour Australian hostage standoff ended with an eruption of gunfire in Sydney when heavily armed police stormed a cafe in the heart of the city’s financial center.
Two people died in the fiery end to the siege, local media reported. Sky News Australia said the gunman was one of the dead.
“Sydney siege is over. More details to follow,” New South Wales tweeted.
After long hours of little movement, live TV suddenly showed a group of about six hostages running from the Lindt Chocolate Cafe. Police then swarmed the building to the pops of gunfire and smoke grenades. Moments later, one weeping woman was helped out by the officers and at least two other people were wheeled out on stretchers.
It was not clear how many people were injured. The Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported that at least three people were seriously injured.
Media outlets, citing police, identified the suspect as Man Haron Monis, 49, an Iranian-born, self-proclaimed Muslim cleric with a lengthy criminal record who is currently free on bail.
“This is a one-off random individual. It’s not a concerted terrorism event or act. It’s a damaged goods individual who’s done something outrageous,” his former lawyer, Manny Conditsis, told ABC.”His ideology is just so strong and so powerful that it clouds his vision for common sense and objectiveness.”
Earlier, the lone gunman had issued demands and claimed to have bombs scattered around the city, multiple media outlets reported. The gunman also had released videos, through some hostages, stating that he wanted an Islamic State flag and a phone call from Australian prime minister Tony Abbott.
Hundreds of heavily armed police officers, many in sniper positions, had taken control of the streets around the cafe in the area of Martin Place downtown.
Five hostages were able to flee to safety in the first several hours of the standoff. An undisclosed number of hostages remained in the cafe until the fiery resolution, police said.
“We are doing all we can to set you free,” New South Wales state police Commissioner Andrew Scipione had said at a press conference hours after the crisis began. The incident began at around 9:45 a.m Monday local time. Sydney is 16 hours ahead of New York.
Read the rest here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/12/15/sydney-hostage-standoff/20422553/
Wow, imagine that, an Iranian and a sheik equals Hate Iran. Hate Muslims.
The khazar ‘jews’ desperately want their war and they’ll do anything to get it.
Come ‘on people, isn’t this false-flag crap getting a bit old and obvious?
Why do so many continue to fall for the same script over and over and over?
-flek
Fiery resolution. Where’s the conflagration? Guns don’t make “fiery”. Who writes this trash?
Speaking of hoaxes, Souderton mass casualty. In my area. Someone please post
Yawn! Another obvious false flag story. I’m bored. Can we take our country back yet?
Didn’t the Australian para military police run a similar drill recently? Of course they did……..