Sydney siege gunman identified as Iranian

The Australian media has identified the gunman as Haron Monis, who was granted political asylum in Australia.

The 50-year-old was described by his former lawyer as an isolated figure, who was acting alone. The gunman, who arrived in Australia as an Iranian refugee in 1996, achieved notoriety after he sent letters to the families of Australian soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan, accusing them of being murderers.

In November last year, he was charged with being an accessory before and after the murder of his ex-wife, who was allegedly stabbed and set alight in her apartment complex. In March, he was charged with sexually and indecently assaulting a young woman in 2002.

The NSW police have activated Task Force Pioneer, which they use in terrorism related incidents, to handle the pre-Christmas incident. The police allege that Monis was a self-proclaimed ‘spiritual healer’ who operated out of premises on Station Street at Wentworthville.

It is alleged that Monis placed ads in local newspapers offering ‘spiritual consultation’. He claimed to be an expert in astrology, numerology, meditation and black magic.

Martin Place -- a public pedestrian thoroughfare through the heart of the city, joining its parliamentary, legal and retail districts – the Sydney Opera House, the state library, the US consulate and all court houses here have been evacuated.

Just over five hours into the siege, five people, including a woman, were seen running out of the cafe. Two came out through the front door and one through the fire escape. It is still not known whether they were freed or escaped.

Television footage showed people inside the cafe with their hands pressed against the window holding the black flag with Arabic script known as Shahadah, a prayer spoken in mosques daily. The flag displayed was not one specific to the Islamic State terror group, reports said.

The government said there was no clear motivation but the flag appeared to be one commonly used by jihadist groups. "There is no God but Allah; Mohammed is his messenger" was written on the black flag.

The gunman was being described as wearing a black vest. The police said they are in contact with the gunman."We will continue this investigation, we will get to the bottom of it and at this stage, all I can assure you, we are doing absolutely all we can and we will do even more to guarantee the safe release of these people," Scipione said.