Sydney Siege: Up To 40 Hostages Held

Sydney Hostage-Taker Accused Of 47 Sex Attacks

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 16 Desember 2014 | 10.52

The man who took up to 20 people hostage in a Sydney cafe has been named as Iranian refugee Man Haron Monis, aged 50.

Sydney police said the self-styled Sheikh - who raised a flag with the Islamic declaration of faith in Arabic written on it and placed human shields in the window before police officers moved into the building - was well-known to them.

It was later revealed he had died in the confrontation with police after shooting one of his hostages.

Channel Nine reporter Airlie Walsh told Sky News charges against him included accessory to murder and sexual assault.

"The list of charges against the Sheikh are extremely long and extremely worrying," she said.

He is believed to be currently on bail for 47 sexual assaults he is accused of carrying out while operating as a spiritual healer.

Monis moved to Australia in 1996 from Iran. The country's foreign ministry said his actions were "not in any way justifiable".

He is notorious in Australia for sending abusive letters to family members of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and was sentenced to 300 hours of community service for his campaign.

Among those targeted in his hate mail was the widow of Sergeant Brett Till, who was killed while defusing a bomb on 12 March 2009.

At the time of the conviction, Bree Till said: "We sat reading these letters (which) made out to be something supportive but then the juxtaposition of this man accusing my husband of being a child-killer while dictating how I should raise my children. It was scary."

Last year, Monis said last year that he wanted to send a "very nice condolence letter" and 237 baskets of flowers to the families of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan but failed to overturn a court order banning him from using the postal service to contact relatives of military personnel.

He was later charged with being an accessory in the murder of his ex-wife.

Monis operated a website which was taken down shortly after he was named as the hostage-taker in the media.

1/49

Gallery: Latest Images From Australia

A bomb disposal robot moves towards Sydney's Lindt Cafe after armed police moved in to end the seige in a barrage of gunfire.

A woman is carried out of the cafe after armed police stormed the building where a gunman was holding up to 20 hostages

]]>

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sydney Cafe Siege: Two Victims Are Named

A brilliant female barrister and a 34-year-old cafe manager have been named as the two victims of the siege in Sydney.

Mother-of-three Katrina Dawson, 38, and Tori Johnson, 34, died along with hostage-taker Man Haron Monis during a 16-hour siege at the Lindt cafe in Sydney's financial district.

At a press conference today, police revealed that three female hostages were also shot during the siege, as well as one police officer.

The three women are in a stable condition in hospital, while the officer has been treated and released.

Deputy Commisioner Catherine Burn said: "I spoke to the police officer as he was going home. His only words to me were 'I'll be back at work tomorrow'."

Ms Burn said another two women were treated for "health and welfare purposes". Reports suggested that those women were pregnant.

Monis was shot dead when specialist officers threw flash grenades into the building in the Martin Place premises at around 2.10am.

The 50-year-old Iranian refugee - who was facing charges in Australia including accessory to murder and sexual assault - was confirmed dead after being taken to hospital.

Deputy Commissioner Burn said police did not know what had motivated Monis. She declined to detail his demands.

"This is a man who had serious history of criminal offences and a history of violence," she said.

"This was a man that we do believe had some extremist views and we also believe that he was unstable."

Ms Dawson's brother told The Australian newspaper that the family is devastated by her death.

She was looking forward to a joint family holiday with another colleague and her children later this year.

Friends described her as beautiful and highly-intelligent.

Ms Dawson was held hostage alongside one of her barrister colleagues, with whom she had been having a coffee.

A statement from the New South Wales Bar Association said: "Katrina, together with two other members of the NSW Bar, were held as hostages during the incident at the Lindt Café in Phillip Street, Sydney, yesterday.

"Katrina was one of our best and brightest barristers who will be greatly missed by her colleagues and friends at the NSW Bar.

"She was a devoted mother of three children, and a valued member of her floor and of our bar community."

Flags were lowered to half-staff on the landmark Harbour Bridge as Australians awakened to the surreal conclusion of the crisis.

The state's premier Prime Minister Tony Abbott expressed disbelief that the attack could happen in Australia - a place he dubbed "a peaceful, harmonious society which is the envy of the world."

The siege ended in dramatic scenes, as a group of panicked hostages ran from the building into the arms of waiting police in the early hours of Tuesday morning local time.

Specialist police then swooped on the gunman, who was armed with a pump-action shotgun.

A series of loud explosions were heard at the scene before glass shattered onto the pavement from a nearby window.

NSW Premier Mike Baird described the incident as "a vicious, horrendous attack in the heart of our city".

Speaking at a news conference in Canberra, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the gunman had an infatuation with extremism.

1/9

Gallery: Sydney Mourns Cafe Siege Victims

A man sobs as he lays flowers in Sydney, near to the scene

Dozens of bouquets of flowers were laid at the scene

]]>

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Abbott Urges 'Business As Usual' For Citizens

Written By Unknown on Senin, 15 Desember 2014 | 10.52

Australia's Prime Minister has said there are "some indications" that the siege at a Sydney cafe could be politically motivated.

However, he added that the exact motivation is yet to be established.

Speaking at a news conference in Canberra, Tony Abbott said: "We have to appreciate that even in a society such as ours there are people who would wish to do us harm.

"That's why we have police and security organisations of the utmost professionalism that are ready and able to respond to a whole range of situations and contingencies including the situation that we are now seeing in Sydney.

"The whole point of politically motivated violence is to scare people out of being themselves. Australia is a peaceful, open and generous society. Nothing should ever change that and that is why I would urge all Australians today to go about their business as usual.

"Of course if anyone does have any suspicions of untoward activity, there is the national security hotline, 1800-123-400, which I would urge them to call."

He added: "Our thoughts and prayers must above all go out to the individuals who are caught up in this.

"I can think of almost nothing more distressing or terrifying than to be caught up in such a situation, and our hearts go out to those people."

Several hours before armed officers surrounded the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Martin Place, police announced a man had been arrested in the city as part of investigations into the planning of an attack in Australia.

They said 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".

It is not clear if the two matters are related.

1/16

Gallery: Latest Images From Sydney As Hostage Situation Develops

Hostages have been taken inside a chocolate shop and cafe in central Sydney

Streets in the area were closed and offices evacuated, with the public told to stay away

]]>

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sydney Siege: Up To 40 Hostages Held - Reports

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

A huge police operation is under way in Sydney's financial district, with reports that up to 40 hostages are being held in a cafe.

Part of Martin Place - home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, commercial banks and close to the New South Wales state parliament - has been closed off and up to 100 heavily armed police are surrounding the area.

Live television footage showed patrons inside the Lindt Chocolate Cafe standing with their hands pressed against the windows.

A black flag with white Arabic text, similar to those used by Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria, was also visible.

According to media reports, at least one gunman walked into the cafe just before 10am local time.

Witnesses reported hearing loud bangs that sounded like gunshots.

A reporter at Australia's Channel Nine News said: "We are dealing with an extremely serious situation.

"There are people inside the cafe who have been placed at the window with their hands up to show the world that they have been taken hostage."

A Lindt executive said there were about 10 staff and "probably 30 customers" in the cafe before the operation started.

1/16

Gallery: Latest Images From Sydney As Hostage Situation Develops

Hostages have been taken inside a chocolate shop and cafe in central Sydney

Streets in the area were closed and offices evacuated, with the public told to stay away

]]>

New South Wales police say they are dealing with "an armed incident"

]]>

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Australia's top politicians met to be briefed on the situation

]]>

Heavily armed officers were lined up outside the cafe

]]>

Sydney Opera House has been evacuated after a suspicious package was reportedly found not long after the police operation in the financial district began.

New South Wales police confirmed authorities were dealing with an "incident" there, but it is not known whether they are linking it to events at the cafe.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he has convened the National Security Committee for emergency briefings following the "hostage-taking situation".

"This is obviously a deeply concerning incident but all Australians should be reassured that our law enforcement and security agencies are well trained and equipped and are responding in a thorough and professional manner," he said.

Mr Abbott said he did not yet know the motivation of those holding the hostages, adding: "Our thoughts and prayers must above all go out to the individuals who are caught up in this.

"I can think of almost nothing more distressing or terrifying than to be caught up in such a situation, and our hearts go out to those people."

Several buildings in the area have been evacuated, including the Channel 7 newsroom opposite the cafe, and staff at the Reserve Bank of Australia are in lockdown inside the building. All are said to be safe.

The United States has evacuated its Sydney consulate and issued an emergency warning to US citizens in the city, urging them to "maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security".

Trains and bus services have been stopped and roads cordoned off as the public have been told to stay away. Air traffic is functioning as normal.

In a separate development, police said a 25-year-old man had been arrested on alleged terrorism offences in the city just a few hours before the siege operation began.

He was seized this morning 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 news conference later today with more details.

The arrest comes after the Australian government in September raised its terror threat level and conducted large-scale counter-terror raids across the country.

More follows...

Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 14 Desember 2014 | 10.52

Thousands March Against US Police Killings

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

By Sky News US Team

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of cities across the US to protest at the killings of unarmed black men by police and call on politicians to act.

Organisers expected the rallies to be among the largest seen over the lethal actions of officers in New York, Cleveland and Ferguson, Missouri.

Protesters in Washington carried placards reading "Black Lives Matter" and "Who do you protect? Who do you serve".

Marchers shouted "No justice, no peace, no racist police" and "Hands up, don't shoot".

Among those who took part in the march on the Capitol Building were the families of Eric Garner, killed by an officer using a chokehold position in New York, Michael Brown, who was fatally shot in Ferguson, Trayvon Martin, who was shot by a neighbourhood watch volunteer in Florida, and Tamir Rice, who was fatally shot in Cleveland, Ohio.

1/13

Gallery: Protests Over US Police Killings

Thousands of people have marched in several US cities including Washington and New York to demand justice for black men who have died at the hands of white police

It is part of a growing protest movement sparked by the fatal August shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by a white policeman

]]>

Protests continued after 43-year-old Eric Garner died in New York when he was put in a chokehold by a police officer

]]>

Several thousand people have massed on the streets, shouting "No justice, no peace!" - a signature chant of the nationwide demonstrations

]]>

The families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner were among the protests

]]>

Esaw Garner, the widow of the 43-year-old, who died in July after officers arrested him in Staten Island on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes, told marchers: "Let's keep it strong, long and meaningful."

"Wow, what a sea of people," said Mr Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden.

"If they don't see this and make a change, I don't know what we're going to do."

The lack of criminal charges brought by grand juries in the New York and Ferguson cases has fuelled protests across the US.

Civil rights leader the Rev Al Sharpton, whose National Action Alliance headed the Washington protest, said in a statement: "We need more than just talk - we need legislative action that will shift things both on the books and in the streets."

He called for legislation that would allow federal prosecutors to take over cases involving police.

Local prosecutors who work with police regularly and then must investigate officers faced a conflict of interest, he argued.

Protesters in Washington were expected to arrive by bus from as far away as Florida, Connecticut and Pittsburgh.

Organisers estimated the crowd at 40,000 to 50,000.

The rally blocked Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and the US Capitol.

The march in New York, a city which has seen a series of protests after a grand jury failed to indict the officer who killed Mr Garner, was estimated by observers to have drawn a crowd of more than 10,000.

The crowd headed north up Manhattan's Fifth Avenue from Washington Square Park and was due to end at the city's police headquarters.

Some chanted "How do you spell racist? NYPD" and some taunted police guarding the route.

New York march co-organiser Umaara Elliott said in a statement: "It's open season on black people now.

"So we demand that action be taken at every level of government to ensure that these racist killings by the police cease."

1/8

Gallery: Unarmed Michael Brown Was Shot By A White Officer

Michael Brown, 18, was shot dead on 9 August by officer Darren Wilson. Family described Mr Brown, known as Big Mike, as a gentle giant. He was unarmed

CCTV footage appeared to show Mr Brown conducting a strong-arm robbery at a convenience store minutes before his encounter with Officer Wilson

]]>

Hundreds of protesters also gathered in Boston, Massachusetts.

The state police said "several demonstrators who failed to comply with the law despite orders to do so have been taken into custody".

Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 13 Desember 2014 | 10.52

Mexico's drug trade is worth between $19 and $29bn (£12.1 and £18.5bn) a year in cash - but takes an immeasurably greater toll in human lives and misery.

Some 90% of the cocaine bound for the US goes through the country, which shares a long border with its northern neighbour.

The narcotics industry makes up between 3-4% of the country's GDP, and employs half a million people.

Murder - even mass murder - is relatively commonplace. On average, someone dies a drugs-related death every half an hour.

There have been more than 132,000 kidnappings since 2006, and the government lists a total of 22,322 people as missing.

There are 10 firearms deaths per 100,000 people - more than twice the rate of the US - despite the fact there is just one legal firearms dealer in the entire country.

Even amid this carnage, the recent abduction of 43 college students made headlines not just nationwide but around the world.

The victims were attacked by officers in the southern city of Iguala after demonstrations there.

Prosecutors say they were handed over by corrupt police officers to a drugs gang that killed them and burnt their bodies.

1/9

Gallery: Mexico's Drug Cartels

]]>

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hitman Lifts Lid On Mass Killing And Corruption

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Mexico City

A Mexican hitman, who claims to have killed as many as 900 people, has told Sky News how the police and the military are often involved in the planning and execution of his murders.

"Carlos" has been a paid killer for more than 25 years - working for drug cartels, politicians and the military.

We met the hitman in Tepito market - one of the most dangerous places in the whole of Mexico City, despite being at the heart of its smartest district.

The assassin said the network of cartel power is so entrenched in society and powered by so much money that it is unstoppable.

"On some occasions, we have to go to places where weapons are not allowed and then they (police) meet us.

"They take us to a hotel and they provide all the weapons that we may need, money and everything so that one can do the job one has to do."

The abduction of 43 students last September has forced Mexico into confronting its crime problems.

Carlos believes that the students are already dead, and uses a chilling example from his own experience to explain why he is so certain.

"Let me tell you a story. Some protestors came. We let them in and then we closed the road, we closed the entrance, we closed the exit. When they were stuck in the middle we killed them all," he recounted.

"Then a (rubbish) truck from the army came and collected them all. Then street sweeper machines went past. They opened the road again, as if nothing had happened.

"The students are dead, it is more convenient. For kidnapping you get 160 years, for killing its 35. It's a huge difference, don't you think?"

Mexico is described by many as a "Narco State", where government and civil society appear powerless against drug money, cartels, corruption and terrible violence - committed on an almost daily basis.

This country bordering the United States and Central America has become a transit point for drugs across the world.

The revenues are mind-blowing - tens of billions of dollars a year.

The demand for what it can deliver to affluent societies is insatiable.

It is the root of the problem of course, and widespread poverty, combined with the need to make a living, are the crumbling foundations of a state teetering on the edge of disaster.

Mexico is in trouble. It is failing. A black market culture where anything can be bought is all-pervading. Nobody is above this. Absolutely nobody.

1/9

Gallery: Mexico's Drug Cartels

]]>

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hitman Lifts Lid On Mexico's Culture Of Murder

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 12 Desember 2014 | 10.52

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Mexico City

At the heart of its smartest district is one of the most dangerous places in the whole of Mexico City: Tepito market.

It's the centre of criminal activity - a trading point for guns, drugs and every variant of goods.

If you shop there, you know you are buying items of debatable legitimacy, and contributing to an all-pervading lawlessness that seems to be accepted as normal life.

And it does seem normal, except an outsider like me can't walk around without protection, and couldn't meet the people who live on the edges of society.

People here can earn far more than anywhere accessible to them on the right side of the law - by sinking into a shadowy world of crime and murder.

"Carlos" is an assassin. Over a 25-year career he has killed between 500 and 900 people while working for the drug cartels, politicians and the military.

We met deep in the warren of alleyways and warehouses in the core of Tepito.

He says that the network of cartel power is so entrenched in society and powered by so much money that it is unstoppable.

The police and the military, he says, are often involved in the planning and execution of his hits.

"On some occasions, we have to go to places where weapons are not allowed and then they (police) meet us," he told me.

"They take us to a hotel and they provide all the weapons that we may need, money and everything so that one can do the job one has to do."

The abduction of 43 students last September has forced Mexico into confronting its crime problems.

Carlos believes that the students are already dead, and uses a chilling example from his own experience to explain why he is so certain.

"Then a (rubbish) truck from the army came and collected them all. Then street sweeper machines went past. They opened the road again, as if nothing had happened.

1/3

Gallery: Mexico's Drug War

]]>

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Narco State: Mexico And Its Drugs Problem