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Sydney siege: Bail of Monis' partner questioned Sydney siege: Gunman Monis had illegal firearm, say police
(about 3 hours later)
The decision to grant bail to the partner of the man behind Sydney's cafe siege should be reviewed, says the New South Wales (NSW) government. The man who took 17 people hostage in a cafe in Sydney on Monday was carrying an illegally owned firearm, Australian police have said.
Amirah Droudis was granted bail after she was charged with the murder of Man Haron Monis' ex-wife in 2013. PM Tony Abbott said on Wednesday that he wanted to know how Man Haron Monis was able to get a gun licence despite a history of violence and instability.
NSW Attorney General Brad Hazzard "expressed concern" on Thursday about the bail decision. New South Wales Police said Mr Abbott had been given inaccurate information.
Monis was on bail as an alleged accessory to the murder when he took hostages in a Sydney cafe on Monday. Two people died along with Monis when police stormed the Lindt cafe to end the 16-hour siege.
He was also facing unrelated charges of sexual assault. Some of the hostages have been talking to the media about their experiences inside the cafe, and the moment police moved in.
History of violence One man who managed to escape told his family he believed they would "not survive until the morning if they did not do something".
Monis and his partner were both waiting to stand trial over the murder of Monis' ex-wife, who was stabbed to death and set alight last year. Bail concerns
Mr Hazzard said in a statement that following the "horrific events" involving Monis he had asked the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions to review the decision to grant bail to Ms Droudis. On Wednesday, Mr Abbott announced a review into the background and security checks on Monis.
"The charges laid against Amirah Droudis are extremely serious and her alleged actions involve a murder," he said. He said questions must be asked about why Monis - an Iranian who first came to Australia as a refugee in 1996 - was not on a security watch list despite a history of violence and mental instability, and why he had a gun licence.
"In this case the allegation is that he and she had involvement in the murder of Monis' ex-wife and on behalf of our community I want to know whether every aspect of her being on bail has been examined in all possible detail." But the Australian Federal Police said it had since "confirmed that there is no record of Mr Monis ever having held a firearms licence", and that the inaccurate information was based on one manual entry in a police reference database.
His request follows an announcement by the federal and NSW governments that they will urgently conduct a review into the siege at Martin Place in the heart of Sydney.
On Tuesday, three people inside the cafe were killed, including Monis, when police stormed the building, ending the 16-hour siege.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced a review into the background and security checks on Monis.
Mr Abbott said questions must be asked about why the Iranian, who first came to Australia as a refugee in 1996, was not on a security watch list despite a history of violence and mental instability.
Monis had a history of religiously motivated activism and called himself a cleric, but officials have said there is as yet no evidence his actions were linked to international Islamist militant networks, despite his use of a flag with the Islamic creed on it during the siege.Monis had a history of religiously motivated activism and called himself a cleric, but officials have said there is as yet no evidence his actions were linked to international Islamist militant networks, despite his use of a flag with the Islamic creed on it during the siege.
He was also out on bail after being charged with dozens of sexual assault charges and with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife, who was stabbed to death and set alight last year.
His partner, Amirah Droudis, was charged with the murder and is also out on bail.
The New South Wales (NSW) Attorney General Brad Hazzard said on Thursday that following the "horrific events" involving Monis he had asked the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions to review the decision.
"On behalf of our community I want to know whether every aspect of her being on bail has been examined in all possible detail," he said.
The father of 21-year-old Joel Herat, who was inside the cafe, has told Australian media that Monis began dividing the hostages into groups in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
How the 16-hour Sydney siege unfoldedHow the 16-hour Sydney siege unfolded
How Sydney cafe siege unfoldedHow Sydney cafe siege unfolded
The victims: Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson
Watch list questions mountWatch list questions mount
The review will examine and make recommendations about a wide range of issues including the circumstances surrounding Monis' arrival in Australia and subsequent granting of asylum and citizenship; what information agencies had about him and how it was shared; and whether relevant national security legislative powers could have been better used. Mr Herat told The Age newspaper that Joel believed they would be killed so he and five others broke through an internal door.
How Monis got access to what appears to be a pump action shotgun will also be investigated. "The moment they busted that door down, Joel heard shots in his proximity," said Mr Herat.
The review will take account of the parallel investigations into the incident including those by the NSW State Coroner, NSW Police and Australian Federal Police. John O'Brien, 82, was the first hostage to escape, along with lawyer Stefan Balafoutis, on Monday afternoon.
The review will prepare a report for the Federal and NSW Cabinets by the end of January 2015. He told the Associated Press that Monis was using three women as human shields to protect him from police snipers.
Mr O'Brien had hidden behind a sign and managed to hit a button which opened the front doors. He and Mr Balafoutis were seen on television running from the cafe towards armed police.
Katrina Dawson, 38, and cafe manager Tori Johnson, 34 died during the police raid.
Police have not yet said who shot them, but witnesses have said Mr Johnson was trying to take Monis's gun from him, while Ms Dawson, who had three children, was protecting her pregnant friend.
The government's review will take account of the parallel investigations into the incident including those by the NSW State Coroner, NSW Police and Australian Federal Police.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said earlier that a separate investigation into the actions of police officers at the siege was well advanced, but that he believed officers made "absolutely the right call" in storming the Lindt cafe to end the siege.New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said earlier that a separate investigation into the actions of police officers at the siege was well advanced, but that he believed officers made "absolutely the right call" in storming the Lindt cafe to end the siege.