Sydney siege gunman secretive, tried to join bikers: Inquest

The lone Iranian-born gunman who had held 17 people, including two Indians, hostage in a deadly siege of an Australian cafe was secretive and tried to join a biker gang in one of many acts that point to a life spent trying to “achieve significance”, an inquest heard on Monday.

The coronial inquest into the 17-hour hostage drama at Lindt Cafe in Sydney’s Martin Place in December opened on Monday, with the court hearing details about the self-styled cleric’s life history, mental state and “unpersuasive and unsuccessful” attempts to gain a following in Australia.

Man Haron Monis’s, who took 17 people captive and made a series of demands including that he be delivered a flag of the Islamic State group, was described as a man striving for power and influence and a sexual predator who used a “spiritual healing” business to sexually assault women over many years.

“Was Monis a so-called lone wolf prosecuting an ISIS-inspired terrorist act, or was he a deranged individual pursuing some personal private grievance in a public manner?” New South Wales state coroner Michael Barnes asked. 

The lawyers also described 50-year-old Monis’s history of mental health <g data-gr-id="16">issues,</g> but said it was unlikely to “provide a full answer to the questions about his motivations for the siege.” 

The inquest, which will be conducted across sessions throughout year, will examine the circumstances that led to the deaths of Cafe manager Tori Johnson, barrister Katrina Dawson when heavily-armed police stormed the building and shot Monis dead. Two Indians - Vishwakant Ankit Reddy and <g data-gr-id="24">Pushpendu</g> Ghosh - were among the <g data-gr-id="20">hostages</g> but they escaped safely.