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Sydney siege broken, gunman killed; two Indian captives safe

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New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione inspects flowers at a floral memorial at the scene of a dramatic siege which left two hostages dead, as Sydneysiders expressed shock and grief that something like this could happen in their easy-going city, in Sydney.
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Sydney: A swarm of heavily armed police stormed the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Martin Place, where a gunmen held more than 15 hostages, including two Indians, and ended the siege that lasted for over 16 hours.

While the police killed the lone gunman, one hostages lost his life. A Reuters report said several people were injured, of which the condition of the three is reported to be serious. The gunman, identified as Man Haron Monis, walked into the cafe at 22:45 GMT on Sunday (4:15 IST am on Monday) and held the customers hostage. He made no demands, and till the time of going to print, it was not clear which outfit he represented.

Just over five hours into the siege, five people, including a woman, were seen running out of the cafe. Two came out through the front door and one through the fire escape.

When did the siege begin?

At the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Martin Place, the heart of Sydney’s business district. Martin Place is a pedestrian strip popular with workers on lunch break. The area is home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, commercial banks and close to the New South Wales state parliament. 

Who is the gunman?

Man Haron Monis is an Australian Muslim cleric, originally from Iran. Police allege he was a self-proclaimed “spiritual healer”, who operated out of premises on Station Street at Wentworthville. Monis placed ads in local newspapers offering “spiritual consultation”. He claimed to be an expert in astrology, numerology, meditation and black magic. He was in his 40s. 

Did Monis belong to IS?

During the siege, TV footage showed people inside the cafe with their hands pressed against the window holding the black flag with Arabic script known as Shahadah, a prayer spoken in mosques daily. The flag displayed was not one specific to the IS. The government said there was no clear motivation but the flag appeared to be one commonly used by jihadist groups. “There is no God but Allah; Mohammed is his messenger” was written on the flag.

Did someone see Monis in action? 

Bruno, a worker at the cafe, did. “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,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. He said he then turned away. 
Indian interests at Martin Place

The Indian consulate in Sydney is 400 metres away from Lindt cafe. Sydney Consul General Sunjay Sudhir said that the Central Business District is the area where many Indian establishments, including the SBI, Bank of Baroda and India Tourism office are located. The Indian consulate was locked down.

 

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