(MENAFN- Arab Times) Australian security forces opened fire on Tuesday as they stormed the Sydney cafe where several hostages were being held at gunpoint, in a dramatic end to a standoff that had dragged on for more than 16 hours. Sydney police say three people have died, including the gunman, during a hostage crisis that ended when officers stormed a downtown cafe. Police said the gunman was killed in a confrontation with police early Tuesday morning. They said in a statement that a 34-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman also died. Four other people were injured.
Police said an investigation is underway because police were involved in an incident in which people died. Medics were seen trying to resuscitate one person after the raid and took away several injured people on stretchers, said a Reuters witness at the scene in downtown Sydney. The operation began shortly after a police source named the gunman as Man Haron Monis, an Iranian refugee and self-styled sheikh facing multiple charges of sexual assault as well as being an accessory to murder.
He was also found guilty in 2012 of sending offensive and threatening letters to families of eight Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan, as a protest against Australia's involvement in the conflict, according to local media reports. Although he was well known to the authorities, security experts said preventing attacks by people acting alone could still be difficult.
"Today's crisis throws into sharp relief the dangers of lone wolf terrorism," said Cornell University law professor Jens David Ohlin, speaking in New York. "There are two areas of concern. The first is ISIS (Islamic State) fighters with foreign passports who return to their home countries to commit acts of terrorism. "The second is ISIS sympathizers radicalised on the internet who take it upon themselves to commit terrorist attacks to fulfil their radical ideology.
"We are entering a new phase of terrorism that is far more dangerous, and more difficult to defeat, than al Qaeda ever was." During the siege, hostages had been forced to display an Islamic flag, igniting fears of a jihadist attack. Australia, a staunch ally of the United States and its escalating action against 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. At least five hostages were released or escaped on Monday, with terrified cafe workers and customers running into the arms of paramilitary police. A further 15 or so hostages were understood to have been holed up inside the cafe.
The incident forced the evacuation of nearby buildings and sent shockwaves around a country where many people were turning their attention to the Christmas holiday following earlier security scares.
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.
The siege cafe is in Martin Place, a pedestrian strip popular with workers on a lunch break, which was revealed as a potential location for the thwarted beheading.
In the biggest security operation in Sydney since a bombing at the Hilton Hotel killed two people in 1978, major banks closed their offices in the central business district and people were told to avoid the area. Muslim leaders urged calm. The Australian National Imams Council condemned "this criminal act unequivocally" in a joint statement with the Grand Mufti of Australia.
Concerns about an attack in Australia by Islamists have been growing for more than a year, with the security agency raising its national terrorism public alert to "high" in September. It is one of the most popular cafes on a thoroughfare that is thronged at this time of year with festive shoppers, in addition to everyday office crowds and tourists. But on Monday, a pre-Christmas nightmare played out inside the Lindt cafe on Sydney's Martin Place, while outside the crowds had evaporated, replaced by police lines and tension, as businesses shut early.
"It's kind of shocking for everyone," said local worker Goldie Jamshidi near the chocolate-themed cafe where a gunman had taken several people hostage, brandishing an Islamic banner above a Lindt store sign and the words "MERRY CHRISTMAS". "I came to work and then I found out that this incident had happened," she said.
By the evening five people had fled the building, two of them young women wearing Lindt aprons who raced out and into the arms of police officers. Officers wearing black SWAT-style uniforms had earlier taken up position, eyes staring down rifle sights. Some onlookers took photos to post on social media, others shook their heads in disbelief.
Australia had long seemed far removed from the hubs of Islamist extremism. But the Lindt hostage-taker's use of the Islamic banner lent weight to suspicions that the threat had come home to roost despite a stepped-up security posture of late. The government in September raised its terror threat level and police conducted raids across the country, as authorities fretted that dozens of Australians who have fought alongside jihadists in Iraq and Syria could return home radicalised and inflict "lone wolf" attacks.
"It's kind of overwhelming, especially after the drama a few months ago about the talk of a beheading at Martin Place," said office worker Rebecca Courtney. That referred to an order purportedly issued by the most senior Australian recruited by Islamic State for "demonstration killings" in Australia, including beheading a random member of the public.
Afghan-born Mohammad Ali Baryalei, reportedly a former nightclub bouncer and aspiring actor, was said by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in October to have died in fighting overseas. At that time in October, the government urged young Australians not to become radicalised as it defended new "foreign fighter" legislation designed to prevent citizens from travelling overseas to take part in conflicts.
"It's sad to think this is my home and that it could happen anywhere," Courtney told AFP from close to the police cordon.
While the motives behind Monday's siege were not known, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the signs pointed to a political dimension.
"All the shops around us are closed for safety," said Marian Chung, general manager of a tourist outlet selling stuffed kangaroos and koalas and which is a stopping point for organised tours.
"But we can't close as some of our customers are from overseas and they have bookings here."
At the nearby Sydney Opera House, where police swept the area earlier Monday, evening performances were cancelled.
In the days and weeks before Christmas, Sydney's shopping district usually takes on an extra vigour as people buy presents for the festive season. Martin Place, with its huge Christmas tree, is a magnet for families.
But Chung said she had lost about 30 percent of her usual revenue at her store, Kogaroo: Gift from Australia, on Monday because of the road and store closures as the city went into lockdown.
One business accused of profiteering from the hostage crisis was web-based taxi firm Uber, which is no stranger to controversy around the world.
Initially, Uber was said to have begun charging passengers four times regular fares with a minimum charge of Aus$100 (US$82) to leave Sydney's central business district. "What a shameful disgrace," wrote Twitter user Tyson Armstrong.
The company later issued a statement saying it "will be providing free rides out of the CBD to help Sydneysiders get home safely" and that it was "in the process of refunding rides".
Australians came out Monday in solidarity with the Muslim community following a siege at a Sydney cafe, as tens of thousands tweeted the hashtag #illridewithyou to counter concern about an anti-Islam backlash.
The hostage-taking at the Lindt chocolate cafe triggered a security lockdown in the heart of Australia's biggest city, with the government and Muslim leaders condemning the attack and calling for unity.
Amid uncertainty about the hostage-taker's motives and fears of reprisals after an Islamic flag was raised in the cafe, an Australian woman reportedly started the #illridewithyou hashtag to show solidarity with Muslims who might feel threatened on public transport.
"#373 bus between Coogee & Martin Place. #illridewithyou @ me if you just want to wear your headdress & not be bothered," @sirtessa tweeted.
Within hours, Australians around the country repeated the hashtag, with more than 40,000 tweets helping #illridewithyou become one of the top trends on the social media site.
"I make a commitment, right now, to always say something when I see any kind of abuse on public transport. #illridewithyou," one user tweeted.
Another user in South Australia wrote, "If you wear religious attire, & need to get from #Adelaide's west suburbs to the city on Tues but don't want to travel alone #illridewithyou."
Others offered help beyond travel support: "I'm mostly housebound so Im not useful for #illridewithyou but if you're ever in tarneit VIC and need somewhere safe to hide out, contact me."
Australia's race discrimination commissioner Tim Soutphommasane said he was heartened by the campaign, adding: "let's not allow fear, hatred and division to triumph."
Anti-Islam groups had earlier expressed outrage about the siege, with the Australian Defence League writing on Facebook: "Here it is folks, homegrown islamic terrorism in our backyard, courtesy of successive australian governments and their brainwashed voters."
New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said officers were working with the Muslim community.
"Reprisal attacks are something that should not happen," he added.
More than 40 Muslim groups condemned the siege, saying in a statement that they rejected "any attempt to take the innocent life of any human being or to instil fear and terror into their hearts".
Meanwhile, a man has been arrested in Sydney on alleged terrorism offences as part of ongoing investigations into plans for an attack on Australian soil, police said Monday.
The 25-year-old was seized as part of "continuing investigations into the planning of a terrorist attack on Australian soil and the facilitation of travel of Australian citizens to Syria to engage in armed combat".
He was reportedly arrested as he left a prayer hall, with police due to hold a press conference later Monday with more details.
The arrest comes after Canberra in September raised its terror threat level and conducted large-scale counter-terror raids across the country. Only two people were charged despite 800 officers being involved in the operation.
More than 70 Australians are currently fighting for Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria. At least 20 have died and there are mounting concerns that increasing numbers of youths are being radicalised and could mount attacks at home. Canberra recently passed a law criminalising travel to terror hotspots without good reason, fearful that nationals will pose a risk when they return. Under new laws, anyone who heads to nominated areas will face up to 10 years in jail.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.