Sydney siege gunman identified by police as haron monis
16 Dec 2014 12:21 AM GMT
The man behind the shocking siege in a Sydney café was Man Haron Monis, a notorious 49-year-old self-proclaimed sheikh who claimed to practice black magic and was well known for multiple crimes including sending offensive letters to grieving families of dead Australian soldiers and allegedly murdering his ex-wife. Monis, a self-proclaimed “spiritual healer”, had a long history of criminal convictions.
In October, he was chanrged with 40 indecent and sexual assault charges, including 22 counts of aggravated sexual assault and 14 counts of aggravated indecent assault relating to six women.
In 2002 he faced charges of sexually assaulting a woman and of joining with his current wife to stab his ex-wife to death in Sydney last year.
Police apparently identified Monis as the gunman within hours of the siege: his appearance closely resembled the figure seen lurking behind the windows of the Lindt café in Sydney, where he took hostages and brought the city to a standstill. He also spoke to police, some of whom would have
spoken to him during numerous investigations into his long history of crime and troublemaking.
Some of the media reporting on the siege, including the Telegraph, were aware of his identity but were asked by police not to reveal it.
In October, he was chanrged with 40 indecent and sexual assault charges, including 22 counts of aggravated sexual assault and 14 counts of aggravated indecent assault relating to six women.
In 2002 he faced charges of sexually assaulting a woman and of joining with his current wife to stab his ex-wife to death in Sydney last year.
Police apparently identified Monis as the gunman within hours of the siege: his appearance closely resembled the figure seen lurking behind the windows of the Lindt café in Sydney, where he took hostages and brought the city to a standstill. He also spoke to police, some of whom would have
spoken to him during numerous investigations into his long history of crime and troublemaking.
Some of the media reporting on the siege, including the Telegraph, were aware of his identity but were asked by police not to reveal it.
Next Story
