IMAN Chairman condemns Sydney Cafe Siege
Lunes, 15 Diciembre 2014
3 People, Including Gunman, Killed In Sydney Cafe Siege
NPR
Just as the siege entered its second day, police stormed a chocolate shop in downtown Sydney, ending a more than 12-hour hostage standoff that began during morning rush hour.
Television images showed police throwing what appeared to be stun grenades before entering the building. One hostage was carried out, while others ran out with their hands over their heads.
"Sydney siege is over," the New South Wales Police tweeted. "More details to follow."
New South Wales police, in a statement, said shots were fired during the confrontation. It said the 50-year-old gunman died in the hospital. A 34-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman also died in the hospital, the statement said.
Three people, including an officer, were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. Another woman was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to her shoulder, and a 35-year-old woman was taken to the hospital as a precaution, the statement said.
The situation began unfolding shortly before 10 a.m. local time Monday, when a gunman entered the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in downtown Sydney.
Shortly after, hostages were seen at the window of the chocolate store holding up a black flag with the shahada, an Islamic creed declaring Allah as the true God.
The motive is still unclear, but according to local media, police said the suspect was an Iranian cleric who had faced criminal charges in the past.
Five hostages managed to escape before police moved into the building.
A large portion of Australia's largest city was still under lockdown as Monday turned into early Tuesday morning.
Responding to the news, IMAN Chairman, Ribal Al-Assad said:
"I was horrified to learn of this siege and the terrible outcome that followed.
This was a cowardly act perpetuated by a fanatic who's ideology is driven purely by hate.
The unfortunate reality is that until the international community gets a grip on Islamic extremism we will continue to see repeats of these 'lone wolf' attacks across the globe.
Islamic extremism is the single most dangerous threat the world faces today, it knows no boundaries and the longer we allow it to fester the stronger it will get.
The international community must put aside their differences and work together to confront this problem; governments must tackle both domestic and international extremism - this also includes shutting down websites, satellite TV channels and all other communication media which glorifies or incites extremist violence.
Let us hope that this action is taken before we see a repeat of this terrible incident.
My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families at this time."
