A critical incident investigation has been launched after three people died and four others were injured during a police operation in Sydney’s CBD this morning.
About 2.10am (Tuesday 16 December), a confrontation occurred between police and a man who had taken a number of people hostage inside a café on Martin Place. The man who held more than a dozen people hostage, placing Sydney’s CBD into lockdown is no stranger to the NSW police or the judiciary.
Self-described cleric, Man Haron Monis, 50, first came to attention of police when he penned poisonous letters to the family of dead Australian soldiers seven years ago.
Shots were fired during the confrontation. As a result, the 50-year-old man, Haron Monis was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital.
Last year he was charged with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife and mother of two.
Most recently, he was charged with more than 50 allegations of indecent and sexual assault relating to time allegedly spent as a self-proclaimed “spiritual healer” who dealt with black magic at a premises in western Sydney more than a decade ago.
Monis, who has also gone by the names of Sheikh Haron and Mohammad Hassan Manteghi, was born in Iran and most recently has been living at Bexley North in Sydney’s south.
Another man, aged 34, and a woman, aged 38, were pronounced dead after being taken to hospital.
Two women have been taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, while a male police officer suffered a non-life threatening wound to his face from gunshot pellets and was taken to hospital.
Another woman has been taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to her shoulder.
A 35-year-old woman was taken to hospital as a precaution.
The police operation has concluded and the investigations into entire incident will be overseen by the Professional Standards Command.
All information will be provided to the Coroner who will determine the cause of and make any findings about the events leading to the deaths.
No further details are available at this time; however, police are appealing for witnesses to come forward. Anyone who can assist police should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Source: NSW Police