Man behind Sydney cafe siege was working alone, say police

Australian police have concluded their operation to free a group of people held hostage at a Sydney cafe for over 16 hours.

Three people were killed, two hostages and the lone gunman, when armed police launched a dramatic rescue bid at around 02:00 local time (15:00 GMT).

The slain hostages, Tori Johnson, the 34-year-old manager of the Lindt chocolate cafe where the crisis unfolded, and 38-year-old barrister and mother-of-three Katrina Dawson, were pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital after the raid..

Four others were also injured as police stormed the building after hearing shots being fired within, according to The Guardian.

Though the total number of people being held hostage was initially unclear, police later confirmed that 17 people had been held inside the Lindt cafe in the centre of Sydney, Australia's second city.

Police confirmed the gunman as Man Haron Monis, a 50-year old self-proclaimed Muslim preacher with a long list of previous convictions.

At the time of the attack, he was out on bail facing a raft of charges for indecent and sexual assault - he was also accused of being an accessory in the murder of his ex-wife.

Monis, who migrated to Australia from Iran in 1996, had an earlier conviction for sending offensive messages to the families of Australian troops killed in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2009.

In a message posted on his personal website earlier this month, Monis reported that he had converted from Shiism, the dominant faith in his native Iran, to Sunnism, labelling his previous sect "rafidi," a highly derogatory term for the branch of the religion.

During the siege, Monis demanded a direct phone-call with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott - last year, Monis had warned Abbott that Australia and Australians would be open to attack as a result of the country's participation in the conflict in Afghanistan.

Speaking in the aftermath of the siege, Abbott commended the "courage and professionalism" of Sydney police, promising to meet with the National Security Committee of Australia's cabinet to review the situation.

Australia has been on high alert in recent weeks after the government raised concerns that citizens who have fought alongside militants in Iraq and Syria could return home radicalised and capable of carrying out attacks.

The Premier of New South Wales, the province of which Sydney is the capital, said after the siege was broken that the attack was unimaginable.

"Unbelievably, overnight we have lost some of our own in an attack we never thought we would see here in our city," Mike Baird told a press conference.

"In the past 24 hours, this city has been shaken by a tragedy that none of us could have ever imagined."

National security response

The scene of the drama, Martin Place, is Sydney's financial centre and houses several prominent buildings, including the New South Wales parliament, the US consulate, the country's central bank and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

Many shops in the area opted to close early due to the scare, with only a trickle of people walking along usually bustling streets. 

At the nearby Sydney Opera House, where police had swept the area earlier Monday, evening performances were cancelled.

"It's sad to think this is my home and that it could happen anywhere," said onlooker Rebecca Courtney. 

The cafe incident came just minutes before police announced a man had been arrested in Sydney on alleged terrorism offences.

They said the 25-year-old was seized as part of "continuing investigations into the planning of a terrorist attack on Australian soil and the facilitation of travel of Australian citizens to Syria to engage in armed combat".

Scipione said he did not believe the matters were related.

The government in September raised its terror threat level and police conducted large-scale counter-terror raids across the country. Only two people were charged even though 800 officers were involved in the operation.

More than 70 Australians are believed to be fighting with militants in Iraq and Syria and at least 20 have died.