Australia stunned by siege

SYDNEY – A tense siege in the heart of Sydney that began on a sunny Monday morning reached a deafening and fatal finale 16 hours later, forcing Australians to confront the somber reality that their country had become a new target for Islamist terrorism.

The first such attack on Australian soil in decades left two hostages dead and three seriously injured after commandos stormed a cafe in a busy downtown pedestrian mall where a gunman had been holding 17 hostages.

The gunman, identified as an Iranian-born self-declared cleric named Man Haron Monis, 50, was killed in the commando attack.

Some of the hostages, stark terror evident on their faces, dashed from the Lindt Chocolat Cafe moments before Monis started shooting, leading police to move in, tossing in stun grenades and firing their weapons. Afterward an injured woman was carried out by two officers, and several others were wheeled away on gurneys.

The shock and terror many Australians felt over the attack was reflected in one Sydney tabloid headline: “The instant we changed forever.”

Although the “lone wolf” terrorist attack in the nation’s largest city by the radical Islamist cleric, who was already facing serious criminal charges, surprised many Australians, such an assault had been expected by their nation’s security agencies for some time, officials said.

For Australians, who had not suffered a terrorist strike on their soil since 1978, the siege was a wake-up call on the country’s increased vulnerability after it recently joined international airstrikes in Iraq against the militant group Islamic State.

New South Wales state Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said police stormed the cafe about 2 a.m. after hearing gunshots inside. “They made the call because they believed at that time if they didn’t enter, there would have been many more lives lost,” he said.

Authorities identified the two dead hostages as Katrina Dawson, 38, a lawyer and mother of three small children, and Tori Johnson, 34, the cafe manager. A police officer shot in the face during the assault was reportedly recovering.

The hostage siege began 9:45 a.m. Monday when Monis entered the cafe in the Martin Place plaza and seized 17 people inside. Hundreds of police officers deployed to the area, evacuating nearby sites and closing off streets.

During the next 17 hours, Monis reportedly demanded an Islamic State flag and a meeting with Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Hostages were forced in turn to stand at the cafe window with their arms up for hours at a time, and at one point held up a black flag inscribed with the Islamic proclamation of faith, local news media reported.

Monis’ use of the black flag provoked fears Australia was under attack by Islamic State. But he appeared to be acting alone and wasn’t a typical international terrorist.

However, the ordeal underscored the terrorist threat posed in many countries by lone disaffected people of Muslim origin, radicalized by extremist Islamist preachers, infuriated by overseas counterterrorism operations and able to attract maximum media coverage with attacks requiring relatively little organization and support.

Terrorism experts said it was difficult to prevent individuals with extremist ideology and a grudge from carrying out one-off attacks. Nevertheless, the siege will probably raise questions as to why a troubled man who frequently railed against Australian authorities and faced serious criminal charges was able to execute such an assault.

Despite Australia’s role in military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, Australians long have had a sense of safety – perhaps a false one – being far removed from the world’s hot spots and having a lower profile in counterterrorism operations than the U.S. or Britain.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Monday that authorities had feared a terrorist attack after Australia joined the international coalition against Islamic State in September.

“Australia has been worried about this for quite some time, and of course the Australian government has increased funding and resources for national security,” Bishop told Australian ABC television.

Bishop warned in June that 150 Australian militants who had fought or were fighting alongside Islamist militias overseas posed a serious terrorist threat, either by returning home or using social media to urge other young Australian Muslims to join terrorist groups.