Eight questions still to be answered about Man Haron Monis and the Sydney siege | Australia news | The GuardianEight questions still to be answered about Man Haron Monis and the Sydney siege | Australia news | The Guardian










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Sydney siege



Eight questions still to be answered about Man Haron Monis and the Sydney siege









What was his connection to Isis, if any? Were the dead hostages trying to protect others? Guardian Australia tries to separate fact from conjecture

















Police in front of Lindt cafe on Wednesday. Photograph: Joosep Martinson/Getty Images




Bridie Jabour, 
Paul Farrell and 
Michael Safi


Tuesday 16 December 2014 21.19 EST







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At the end of the 16-hour siege at the Lindt cafe in Sydney’s Martin Place, three people were dead and at least 15 hostages had been freed, some of them injured.
All the hostages and a police officer who were hurt are in a stable condition but there many questions remaining about the gunman, Man Haron Monis, and the 16 hours between him entering the cafe and the police storming in:
1. What was his connection to Islamic State, if any?
Since a flag bearing the Shahada – “There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God” – was hung in the window of the Lindt cafe at the beginning of the siege there has been speculation Monis was acting on behalf of Islamic State. One of his demands was for an Isis flag but Isis is yet to claim responsibility for Monis or the siege.
Just in the past month he posted on his website in Arabic that he swore allegiance to “the caliph of the Muslims” but it is yet to be established – or at least made public – if Monis had any contact with Isis members
2. Why did he choose the Lindt cafe?
The cafe is in the middle of a busy area in Sydney’s central business district. It has large windows and faces the Channel Seven studios.
But while the location helped provide compelling images in the rolling media coverage that ensued, we don’t yet know if Monis chose the cafe for that reason.
Martin Place was named as a potential terrorist target in reports about September’s so-called counter-terrorism raids in Sydney – though it still is yet to be confirmed the location was part of any plot – so that could have inspired Monis.
It is also possible Monis chose the cafe at random as he was walking past.
3. Were the dead hostages trying to protect others?
Various media outlets, including Channel Seven, the ABC, Fairfax Media and News Corp Australia, have reported the Lindt cafe manager, Tori Johnson, was killed after trying to wrestle the gun from Monis. 
The reports have not been sourced; journalists have instead used expressions such as “it is understood” or “it has been confirmed”. 
When asked on Tuesday about the supposed struggle the New South Wales deputy police commissioner Catherine Burn said: “I have not received that information and I would definitely not speculate.”
There have also been reports the other victim, Katrina Dawson, was protecting a pregnant friend when she was shot dead. The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, said in his homily on Tuesday: “Reports have also emerged that Katrina Dawson was shielding her pregnant friend from gunfire. These heroes were willing to lay down their lives so others might live, imitating the sacrifice of Christ who said there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for each other.”
Dawson’s pregnant friend is a fellow barrister, Julie Taylor, 35, who it has been reported in the Australian newspaper was in the final group of hostages to flee the cafe. Video footage shows a woman who looks like Taylor in the last group to run out. There have been conflicting reports about whether the group fled just before or just after the first gunshots were fired.
4. Who shot who in the final moments of the siege?
At the end of the siege three people were dead – Johnson, Dawson and Monis – and three other hostages, all women, had been shot in the leg, foot and shoulder respectively. 
The NSW police commissioner, Andrew Scipione, said on Tuesday that police had decided to enter the cafe after they heard gunfire. 
Police weapons were fired inside the cafe but it has not been established – or made public, at least – who shot Dawson, Johnson and Monis, or who fired the bullets that wounded the other three.
Because people have died in a police operation an inquest by NSW state coroner is mandatory. NSW police have also launched an own investigation because of the “critical incident” status of the siege. 
5. Why was Monis on bail?
Bail is a core part of the criminal justice system and allows a person to be released from custody pending the outcome of a case against him or her, with certain conditions. 
Because the decision to refuse bail can impact on a person’s liberty before he or she has been convicted of an offence, it involves a careful assessment of factors including the potential risks posed to the community and the presumption of innocence. 
Monis was facing two different sets of charges, the first relating to a series of sexual assault charges and the second relating to being an accessory to the murder of his former wife. He was initially refused bail on 14 April at Kogarah local court but later granted bail on 26 May at Parramatta local court.
These decisions would have involved an assessment as to whether Monis might have committed a serious offence, whether he would be a danger to the community, whether he might interfere with evidence and the strength of the prosecution’s case. 
At this stage no transcripts have been made available from either case to give a clear indication of how the judges came to conclusions they did. But clearly questions remain as to why Monis was granted bail and whether it should have been granted.
6. Was Monis on an intelligence watchlist?
The prime minister, Tony Abbott, said on Tuesday that while Monis had been known to the Australian federal police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation in the past, he did not believe that Monis was on an intelligence watchlist at the time of the siege. 
On Wednesday Abbott said Monis had been on an Asio watch list but had “fallen off” and that would be part of an inquiry.
The effect of being placed on a watchlist can lead to a higher level of attention being paid to a person’s movements, associations and transactions. It is difficult to say though whether this level of attention could have prevented the events in Martin Place.
7. How did Monis get his weapon?
Reports have suggested that Monis was wielding a shotgun but it is unclear whether this was pump-action, short-barrelled or sawn off. 
So how did a man accused of being an accessory to murder, facing dozens of counts of sexual and indecent assault, manage to get his hands on such a weapon?
Did he buy it on the street? A Senate inquiry in October heard there were about 260,000 firearms now circulating on the grey or black markets in Australia.
Or was Monis a licensed firearm owner? If so, his license should have been suspended and his weapon seized as soon as he was charged with being an accessory to the stabbing murder of his ex-wife, Noleen Hayson Pal, in December last year.
8. Did Iran request the extradition of Monis?
The head of the Iranian police, Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam, has told journalists in Tehran that Monis fled Iran in the late 1990s wanted on fraud charges. He said the Iranian government had sought his extradition but Australia rebuffed that request.
Those rumours certainly swirled within Australia’s Iranian community. A British-based Iranian news service said on Tuesday that Monis had pocketed US$200,000 while working as the managing director of a travel agency.
Still others have suggested Monis arrived as a representative of the Iranian government on a business visa and claimed political asylum later. Monis himself said he was involved with Iran’s ministry of intelligence but fell out with the regime because of his liberal views. He also said his wife and child were being kept under house arrest.
Was a formal extradition request made? If so, was it rejected, and why? Under what circumstances did Monis arrive in Australia? All these questions remain.



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Sydney siege




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more on this story














Sydney siege: Australian PM Tony Abbott warns of rise in 'terrorist chatter' - video

Australian prime minister Tony Abbott warns of a rise in 'terrorist chatter' in the aftermath of the cafe siege in Sydney



Published: 23 Dec 2014




Sydney siege: Australian PM Tony Abbott warns of rise in 'terrorist chatter' - video












Sydney siege victims Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson mourned at memorial services

Survivors of Martin Place Lindt cafe siege join victims’ families and NSW premier, governor and police commissioner at memorial services



Published: 22 Dec 2014




Sydney siege victims Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson mourned at memorial services












Sydney siege floral tributes to be removed before wet weather hits city

Flowers will be mulched and used in a memorial to be established in consultation with the families of the victims of the Lindt cafe attack in Martin Place



Published: 22 Dec 2014




Sydney siege floral tributes to be removed before wet weather hits city












Sydney siege: videos show gunman's wife a risk to public, say prosecutors

Amirah Droudis faces a bid to revoke her bail pending her trial over the killing of Man Haron Monis’s former wife



Published: 21 Dec 2014




Sydney siege: videos show gunman's wife a risk to public, say prosecutors














Partner of Sydney siege gunman arrives at court - video




Published: 22 Dec 2014




Partner of Sydney siege gunman arrives at court - video








Siege survivor Julie Taylor tells of heartbreak over loss of Katrina Dawson




Published: 18 Dec 2014




Siege survivor Julie Taylor tells of heartbreak over loss of Katrina Dawson








Man Haron Monis lawyers and judges receive death threats and other abuse




Published: 18 Dec 2014




Man Haron Monis lawyers and judges receive death threats and other abuse








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Eleanor Robertson




Published: 18 Dec 2014







On guns, David Leyonhjelm is neither a champion nor a villain. He's a libertarian
















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