Siege of Lindt Café in Sydney ends in bloodshed
Sydney (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The Martin Place Lindt Cafe in the heart of the city, has become a place of pilgrimage: people are bringing flower offerings in tribute to the two hostages who were killed during the storming of the Café by special Police Commandos that put an end to the siege during the night, after more than 16 hours. The gunman was also killed during the blitz.
Police have opened an investigation into the death of Tori Johnson, 34, manager of the café, and Katrina Dawson, 38, probably a customer who happened to be in the café at the time of the siege. It is also investigating the reasons that led to the attack.
The gunman was Man Haron Monis (see photo), an Iranian refugee with a past of extremist activism, was on bail facing a number of criminal charges. Monis, 50, called himself a mullah, a Shiite Muslim who had converted to Sunnism. He had been convicted of sending letters of insults to the families of Australian soldiers who had fought in Afghanistan.
He was known to the police for being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife, and he had been convicted of 40 charges of violence, including sexual violence.
According to Prime Minister Tony Abbot, Monis had "an infatuation with extremism" and was unstable from a mental point of view. He had "sought to cloak his actions with the symbol of the Isis death cult." In fact it had been a specific request by Monis to exhibit an Islamic state flag on the windows of the café.
The National Council of Imams in Australia has "unequivocally condemned Monis's criminal gesture".
Australia, an ally of the US in the fight against the Islamic state in Syria and Iraq, is on alert for possible attacks by young Australian militants who, after fighting for al Qaeda or for Isis in Syria and Iraq, return to the country.
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