Man Haron Monis Identified As Sydney Siege Gunman: 5 More Hostages Escape
Sydney Siege Hostage Update: Five more Sydney siege hostages have escaped from Man Haron Monis inside the Lindt Cafe. Australian police officer have helped the men and women away from the Sydney cafe and are currently debriefing the escapees.
The Sydney siege hostage taker has reportedly been identified as Man Haron Monis, a self-described sheik who also goes by the name, Sheik Haron. They Sydney Lindt Cafe gunman is reportedly from Iran and arrived in Australia in 1996.
Man Haron Monis is on bail over the murder of his ex-wife, according to the Daily Mail. Sydney siege witnesses have described the hostages as looking “strained” and “pained” as the Lindt Cafe siege enters its 12th hour. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Sydney hostage videos have been posted online. The videos were promptly removed from YouTube for violating the website’s terms of service, but were already downloaded and shared elsewhere on the internet.
BREAKING @SkyBusiness @SkyNewsAust: Sixth hostage escapes from #sydneysiege pic.twitter.com/n7lrptv7XK
— Carson Scott (@carsonscottLIVE) December 15, 2014
Sheik Monis, 49, lives in southwest Sydney, and has reportedly accused the families of Australian dead soldiers of being murderers. Man Haron Monis has also reportedly been charged with sexual assault. He was charged with accessory in the murder of his ex-wife. The woman was allegedly stabbed and then set on fire on the stairs in her Sydney apartment building. The current romantic partner of Sheik Haron was charged with murder, but both were ultimately released because the authorities reportedly felt that the evidence in the case was too weak.
Martin Place, Sydney siege gunman identified as Man Haron Monis http://t.co/sdWN2PRvRz via @smh
— Tom Rogan (@TomRtweets) December 15, 2014
Who is Sheikh Man Haron Monis and why was he known to police and the media? #sydneysiege http://t.co/UdkysqURCT pic.twitter.com/woKT9z9uQQ
— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 15, 2014
Man Haron Monis was also arrested for sexual assault in 2002. The Sydney siege hostage taker reportedly sexual assaulted a 27-year-old woman, after luring her to his clinic claiming he was as a black magic, astrology, and meditation expert.
13/10/2014 ‘Spiritual healer’ Man Haron Monis charged with an extra 40 sexual offences http://t.co/Hfqe9Trxjt via @smh
— cristina lombardi (@crislomb) December 15, 2014
#Sydney gunman identified as Man Haron Monis: radical cleric with heavy criminal record http://t.co/3UtlcfKlyU … via @smh
— Souleyma (@Ghomariya) December 15, 2014
Check back with the Inquisitr for more details about the Sydney siege hostage take Man Haron Monis or Sheik Monis, as additional details become available in this breaking news story.
[Image via: Twitter]
