An Islamic terrorist took over a coffee house in Sydney, holding 17 hostages for 16 hours until police moved in. Two hostages and the gunman were killed. The terrorist was an Australian of Iranian heritage, though he was reportedly a Sunni activist. Authorities believe he acted alone and was not part of a larger plot. (Though, arguably, foreign threats may be easier to counter than those of domestic origin.)
From Two hostages, gunman dead in Sydney siege – CNN.com:
The deadly siege of a central Sydney cafe has ended but the investigation is just beginning.
Australian authorities stormed the cafe where a self-styled Muslim cleric had been holding hostages early Tuesday, killing the gunman. They moved in some 16 hours after the siege began, after hearing gunfire inside the Lindt Chocolate Cafe, New South Wales police Commissioner Andrew P. Scipione told reporters.
Two of the 17 hostages initially held by the gunman died, according to Scipione. They were later identified as a 34-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman. Other people were injured, including a police officer who suffered a wound to the face from gunshot pellets. All were described by police to be in stable condition. . . .
The gunman was identified as Man Haron Monis by an official with direct knowledge of the situation. According to his social media posts, the hostage-taker appears to have embraced a radical Sunni theology.
Abbott told reporters that the gunman was already well-known to authorities, and that he had a “long history of violent crime, infatuation with extremism and mental instability.”
Before the raid, Monis had demanded a flag and phone call with Abbott, CNN affiliate Sky News Australia reported. He made the demands through hostages who contacted media organizations, Sky News reported.
Some hostages had also reportedly posted messages to social networking sites and the YouTube online video service. Police urged media early Tuesday not to show the videos.
Monis, also known as Sheikh Haron, pleaded guilty in 2013 to writing letters to relatives of Australian service members saying they were “Hitler’s soldiers,” according to Australian media reports.
He was believed to be acting alone, and he didn’t appear to be part of a broader plot, additional U.S. law enforcement and intelligence sources said.
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