Man Haron Monis: Sydney Hostage Taker Was Radical Muslim Cleric Who Sent Hate Mail To Families Of Dead Soldiers
Man Haron Monis has been identified as the alleged Sydney hostage taker, a man police say was a radical Muslim cleric who once taunted the families of dead Australian soldiers.
Monis was reportedly killed as police stormed the Lindt Cafe on Sydney’s Martin Place, bringing an end to a hours-long standoff. Police said Monis had as many as 15 people hostage inside the cafe.
Man Haron Monis was born in Iran as Manteghi Bourjerdi, but moved to Australia in 1996 and changed his name. He gained notoriety in Australia for a persistent protest of Australian troops in Afghanistan, in which he sent hate-filled letters to families of dead soldiers, calling the men “child killers.”
“We sat in our homes, reading these letters… This man accusing my husband of being a child killer,” said widow Bree Till, whose husband Brett was killed by a roadside bomb in 2009.
At the time police say he stormed into the Sydney cafe and took hostages, Man Haron Monis was on bail for being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife. Police say he organized the murder of Noleen Hayson Pal, a mother of two who was stabbed to death.
Monis was also charged with sexually assaulting seven women while working as a spiritual healer in Wentworthville. He was later charged with 40 additional sexual offenses.
Monis’ former lawyer, Manny Conditsis, told ABC News that Monis appeared to be overtaken by his own delusions.
“His ideology is just so strong and so powerful that it clouds his vision for common sense and objectiveness,” he said.
Authorities say they believe that Man Haron Monis worked alone in the Sydney hostage attack.
“Certainly this appears to be the actions of a lone actor, perhaps not very well prepared, perhaps not very well planned,” Anne Aly, head of the counter terrorism research program at Australia’s Curtin University, told the BBC.
Police have not yet announced how Sydney hostage suspect Man Haron Monis was killed.
[Image via BBC News]
