Sydney Siege A Brush with Terrorism: Tony Abbott
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott described the violent siege in Sydney's CBD as a "brush with terrorism" and said the perpetrator had used the symbolism of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.
Police confirmed two hostages and the gunman at the centre of a 16-hour siege at a cafe in Sydney's CBD were shot dead.
About 2:10am (AEDT) there was a confrontation between police and Man Haron Monis, who had taken 17 people hostage inside the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Martin Place on Monday morning, ABC News reported.
Mr Abbott said it would take time to clarify exactly what happened and that he would travel to Sydney this afternoon for official briefings.
He said the man behind the siege, Man Haron Monis, was well known to authorities.
"He had a long history of violent crime, infatuation with extremism and mental instability," he said.
"We know that he sent offensive letters to the families of Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan and was found guilty of offences related to this. We also know that he posted graphic extremist material online. As the siege unfolded yesterday, he sought to cloak his actions with the symbolism of the ISIL death cult."
"Tragically, there are people in our community ready to engage in politically motivated violence," he added.
But Mr Abbott said he wanted to offer words of comfort and reassurance to Australians.
"Australians should be reassured by the way our law enforcement and security agencies responded to this brush with terrorism," he said.
"There is nothing more Australian than dropping in at the local cafe for a morning coffee and it's tragic beyond words that people going about their everyday business should have been caught up in such a horrific incident.
"Our hearts go out to all of those caught up in this appalling incident and their loved ones."