abcnews.go.com

Police: Hostages in Deadly Sydney Siege Appeared 'Jovial'
ABC News

A police official described a group of people being held hostage by a gunman inside a Sydney cafe during a 16-hour ordeal as "jovial," a police commander told an inquest into the deadly siege on Monday.

The cheerful characterization, made during a police briefing 12 hours into the crisis, was at stark odds with the terrifying description the hostages have given of the hours they were held at gunpoint inside the Lindt Cafe in December 2014.

During a coronial inquest on Monday, New South Wales Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Jenkins testified that he was told the hostages were "jovial" by an official giving him a handover briefing as Jenkins took over as commander of the crisis during the final hours of the siege.

Jenkins said the description was largely prompted by the fact that the hostages could be seen through windows moving freely throughout the cafe.

Most of the hostages have described their experience as nightmarish and several have questioned why police didn't move in sooner. The crisis ended after gunman Man Haron Monis, a self-styled cleric with a long criminal history, fatally shot one of his captives, prompting police to storm the cafe. Monis was then shot dead by police and another hostage was killed in the crossfire.

"It's a remarkable word in the context, isn't it?" Jeremy Gormly, the lawyer assisting the coroner, asked Jenkins.

"It does appear to be, yes," Jenkins replied.

The inquest, a court-like proceeding convened after unusual deaths, is examining how authorities responded to the siege and whether it could have been prevented.

Last week, documents obtained by The Associated Press through the Freedom of Information Act showed that Monis had attracted the concern of the FBI five years before he launched his attack. A November 2009 memorandum from an FBI office in Australia to agency counterterrorism and international operations officials said that while Monis was not believed to be a threat to national security, "his ongoing offensive and nuisance behavior has the potential to incite others to violence."

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/police-hostages-deadly-sydney-siege-appeared-jovial-39299625/

Man Haron Monis



Mohammad-Hassan Manteghi Borujerdi[1]

19 May 1964
Borujerd, Iran
Died 16 December 2014 (aged 50)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Cause of death Ballistic trauma
Residence Bexley North, New South Wales, Australia
Known for Responsible for the 2014 Sydney hostage crisis
Religion

Sunni Islam (From 2014)
Shia Islam (Before 2014)

Criminal charge

Iran:
Violent crime, fraud; wanted since 1996.
Australia:
Postal harassment (convicted), sexual assaults, accessory to murder

Criminal status Died while awaiting trial in Australia
Spouse(s) Noleen Hayson Pal (ex-wife)
Website

Personal website at the Wayback Machine (archived 13 December 2014)

Man Haron Monis (19 May 1964 – 16 December 2014) was an Iranian-born refugee Australian citizen [2] who took hostages in a siege at the Lindt Chocolate Café at Martin Place, Sydney on 15 December 2014,[3] lasting for 17 hours, until the early hours of the following morning. The siege resulted in the death of Monis and two hostages.[4][5]

While Monis had a warrant out for his arrest in Iran, he sought political asylum in Australia in 1996,[6] which was granted in 2001.[7] Monis variously promoted himself as an Iranian intelligence official, a political activist, a spiritual healer and expert in black magic, an outlaw bikie and a Muslim cleric.[8] He told a psychiatrist who diagnosed him with schizophrenia that he had to change his name for "security reasons," variously calling himself "Michael Hayson Mavros",[9] "Sheikh Haron",[10] and "Ayatollah Mohammed Manteghi Boroujerdi".[8][11]

Monis ran a "spiritual healing" business, telling some women that they needed to submit to sexual molestation to receive treatment. In 2014, Monis was charged with accessory to murder of his ex-wife, as well as over 40 counts of sexual assault.[12][13] At the time of his death he had recently converted from Shia Islam to Sunni Islam, and attended Islamist rallies promoting conspiracy theories about Australian security agencies.[13][14] While on bail, and facing a likely lengthy imprisonment,[12] he declared allegiance to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[15]

Okay. Sure. The VICTIMS were so honored to be a CAPTIVE of a (self appointed), Islamic cleric.. as@hole. That they were 'jovial'.


SNAP OUT OF IT & GROW A PAIR

another peaceful Member of a peaceful Religion!

Ballistic Trauma?
You mean,they SHOT the Perp?

Yea..it just took them a LONG time to do it.
Didn't want to offend the self appointed & his FANS