Sydney siege: Don't call Man Haron Monis a 'terrorist' - it only helps Isis | Anne Aly | Comment is free | The GuardianSydney siege: Don't call Man Haron Monis a 'terrorist' - it only helps Isis | Anne Aly | Comment is free | The Guardian










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Sydney siege: don't call Man Haron Monis a 'terrorist' - it only helps Isis


Anne Aly








The lone gunman behind the Sydney siege was an unstable wannabe leader driven by a desire for notoriety. He was not a terrorist• Follow continuing live coverage here • Sydney siege ends as tactical response police storm Lindt Cafe and hostages run out• #illridewithyou: hashtag offers solidarity with Sydney’s Muslims• What is the significance of the Sydney siege flag?• The world reacts: newspaper front pages

















‘Monis’s demands - one for an Isis flag and another to speak to the prime minister - indicate that he was not carrying out this violence in the name of a cause but for his own selfish purposes.’ Photograph: Dean Lewins/AP





Monday 15 December 2014 20.56 EST







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The Sydney siege has brought to attention the very real threat of attacks by lone actors.
In this case, the lone gunman at the centre of the siege stormed into a coffee shop in Sydney’s central business district (CBD) and took hostages. Shortly after, he ordered hostages to fly a flag in the window that bears the Islamic testimony to faith, suggesting that this incident may have been ideologically or politically motivated. Looking back at the tragic events of the past 24 hours and with new information about the perpetrator, who we know now to be Man Haron Monis, is it right to classify this as a terrorist attack motivated by the global jihadist movement and the Islamic State (Isis)? 
Judging by Monis’s criminal history, which includes accessory to murder charges, 22 counts of aggravated sexual assault and 14 counts of aggravated indecent assault, as well a history of extreme acts such as sending “grossly offensive” letters to the families of Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan, I think it’s fair to say that Monis was at the very least unstable. 
So what differentiates a terrorist actor from a madman with a gun? Terrorism, by definition, is violence carried out for a cause in order to create fear and terror – and coerce governments into meeting demands. The motivations for a terrorist act are attached to an ideological, political or social cause. Terrorist actors believe the violence they perpetrate is furthering that cause. Monis’s case is different. 
While it may appear that he was acting on behalf of the global jihadi movement, his prior actions and his history tell us otherwise. This was a man who was desperate for attention. His motives were egotistical. He was a self-proclaimed cleric, though he had no formal qualifications or any evidence to support his claims. On his website, sheikhharon.com, since been taken down, he posted letters to the prime minister as well as political opinions. Rather than being a follower, this is evidence that he was a wannabe leader driven by a desire for notoriety.
This could also explain his bizarre demand for an Isis flag. Usually in a hostage taking incident, we expect either material or strategic demands to be made attached to the particular cause. For example: the release of hostages, money or safe asylum. Monis’s demands – one for an Isis flag and another to speak to the prime minister – as well as his continuous use of social media during the siege, indicate that he was not carrying out this violence in the name of a cause but for his own selfish purposes. 
While it would be very easy to fall back on an analysis of this tragic incident as a case of homegrown terrorism, we should take the lead of the New South Wales police. Throughout the siege they referred to Monis as a “lone gunman”, refusing to use the word terrorist. 
By acknowledging Monis as a terrorist and as an actor for Isis, we give him exactly what he wanted: recognition, renown and the attention of the world media. We also feed into any possible claims by Isis that this attack is a demonstration of their ability to cause terror in Australia. 
Isis has previously claimed that the case of Abdul Numan Haider, the young Australian who stabbed two policeman and was subsequently shot in Melbourne, was a show of their strength and capacity to motivate terrorist actors in faraway lands. They claimed Haider as a hero who died in the cause of Isis.
This is their propaganda machine, that we need to challenge in every respect. That includes not giving them the satisfaction or the right to claim that attacks by a lone gunman, who may well have had a mental illness, were carried out in their name and because of their influence. 
Monis was born in Iran and was a Shia Muslim. According to his website, he converted to Sunni Islam only weeks ago. Considering the short amount of time between his apparent conversion and his carrying out an attack, it appears unlikely that he could have been fully radicalised so rapidly. 
Therefore we need to look at other factors that could have influenced or explain his violent and horrific crime. While his extremism may have played a part, it is obvious that Monis was already a violent man. Religion gave him a way to justify and frame his violence – a hook for his violent tendencies, but not the driving force behind them. 
The Sydney siege has shocked Australia and the world. These kinds of shocking attacks by lone actors are increasing around the world – Michael Zehaf-Bibeau in Canada, Mohammed Merah in France, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in Boston and Michael Adebolajo in the UK – but we really shouldn’t be surprised that it happened in Australia.
Although Monis was known to law enforcement, he still managed to get hold of a gun and bring Sydney to a standstill. While Australia has increased the power of its law enforcement agencies and the capabilities of its intelligence agencies, yesterday’s events send a clear message that there is a gap in our approach to national security.
Lone actors such as Monis are difficult to detect. Their attacks require no planning or communication between members of a group, and little in the way of resources. Intelligence and law enforcement alone cannot possibly deal with these kinds of threats. Rather, we need a broader, more comprehensive approach that targets prevention as well as intervention. 
Monis was already known to law enforcement agencies. He left indictors of risk on his webpage. We have to ask if this attack could have been prevented if an intervention programme existed that could have assessed his mental health and his risk to society. 
The Australian government has dedicated $13.1m to counter violent extremism. Prevention and intervention programmes are desperately needed to deal with radicalisation. Until we take a more comprehensive approach to national security that tackles root causes, violent attacks on innocent Australians will continue to threaten our society. 
For the majority of young people becoming radicalised, there are a variety of root causes, including access to radicalising influences on the internet. So far Australia has been slow in responding to the need for de-radicalisation and prevention programmes. Let’s hope that with this tragic event this will soon change.



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