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Brighton siege: Islamic State claims responsibility for Melbourne hostage drama, shoot-out
http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/austr...oot-out/ar-BBC6BZr?li=AAavLaF&ocid=spartanntp
Police say they are treating yesterday's shooting and hostage situation in Melbourne, which left two people dead, including a gunman linked to plans to attack the Holsworthy Army base, as terrorism.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said the gunman, Yacqub Khayre, was known to police and had a long criminal history.
Khayre was charged and acquitted by a jury over a plot to attack the Holsworthy Army barracks in Sydney in 2009.
Three of his co-accused were found guilty of planning the terrorist attack as payback for Australia's military action in the Middle East.
Commissioner Ashton told ABC News Breakfast yesterday's siege was being treated as a "terrorism incident".
"He has a long criminal history with us, but also from what we're piecing together comments he made related to ISIS and Al Qaeda certainly for us put this in the terrorism category," he said.
"We don't yet know if this was something he was really planning or whether it was just an ad hoc decision that he's made just to go off tap like this."
© AAP Image/Julian Smith Yacqub Khayre is believed to be the gunman. issioner Ashton said Khayre was released on parole in November, and confirmed he had been investigated over the Holsworthy plot.
"He has recently done some jail time, he got out late last year and has been on parole at the time of this offending last night," he said.
"This person wasn't someone around which we had major concerns at this time, and we had nothing to suggest [he was planning] what he did suddenly decide to do."
Earlier the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the siege, in which a man was killed, several police were injured and a woman was held against her will before Khayre was shot dead.
IS published a statement via its Amaq propaganda arm, which said the attack in Melbourne was carried out by one of its "soldiers".
"The attack in Melbourne, Australia was carried out by a soldier of the Islamic State in response to the call for targeting the subjects of the coalition states," the statement said.
The claim could not be independently verified by the ABC.
Stand-off began with reports of explosion, man killed
Khayre was shot dead following a stand-off with police which lasted for more than an hour at serviced apartments on Bay Street in Brighton.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Crisp told media on Monday night police were investigating reports of a phone call made to the Channel 7 newsroom by someone referencing Islamic State.
"That's all part of the investigation at this point in time as to who made that phone call, but we will certainly be working with Channel 7 in relation to that phone call," he said.
© ABC News: Patrick Rocca Police said they were investigating terrorism links with the siege. The siege began just after 4:00pm when emergency services responded to reports of an explosion at the apartment building.
Police discovered the body of a man with gunshot wounds in the foyer.
Commissioner Ashton confirmed the man worked at the apartment building, and said he was "at the wrong place, at the wrong time".
Just before 6:00pm, Khayre left the building and shot at police, who returned fire and killed him.
Three male officers were shot by the man during the shoot-out. All sustained non-life threatening injuries.
A woman, in her 20s, who was held hostage by Khayre was rescued.
Police confirmed she was an escort worker, whom Khayre had called.
'We all hit the deck'
Graeme Hisgrove, who lives next door to the serviced apartments, said police used his backyard during their operation.
"I was out in the backyard and I heard a large bang, and when I went out on the street to see what was going on, all the police were there and told us to get back in the house," he said.
"I ran back into the house and next thing the Special Operations Group turned up and went through the house and then staked out on our boundary.
"We were just in the front room of the house and all the rapid fire started, so we all hit the deck on the floor and just didn't know what was going on."
http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/austr...oot-out/ar-BBC6BZr?li=AAavLaF&ocid=spartanntp
Police say they are treating yesterday's shooting and hostage situation in Melbourne, which left two people dead, including a gunman linked to plans to attack the Holsworthy Army base, as terrorism.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said the gunman, Yacqub Khayre, was known to police and had a long criminal history.
Khayre was charged and acquitted by a jury over a plot to attack the Holsworthy Army barracks in Sydney in 2009.
Three of his co-accused were found guilty of planning the terrorist attack as payback for Australia's military action in the Middle East.
Commissioner Ashton told ABC News Breakfast yesterday's siege was being treated as a "terrorism incident".
"He has a long criminal history with us, but also from what we're piecing together comments he made related to ISIS and Al Qaeda certainly for us put this in the terrorism category," he said.
"We don't yet know if this was something he was really planning or whether it was just an ad hoc decision that he's made just to go off tap like this."
"He has recently done some jail time, he got out late last year and has been on parole at the time of this offending last night," he said.
"This person wasn't someone around which we had major concerns at this time, and we had nothing to suggest [he was planning] what he did suddenly decide to do."
Earlier the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the siege, in which a man was killed, several police were injured and a woman was held against her will before Khayre was shot dead.
IS published a statement via its Amaq propaganda arm, which said the attack in Melbourne was carried out by one of its "soldiers".
"The attack in Melbourne, Australia was carried out by a soldier of the Islamic State in response to the call for targeting the subjects of the coalition states," the statement said.
The claim could not be independently verified by the ABC.
Stand-off began with reports of explosion, man killed
Khayre was shot dead following a stand-off with police which lasted for more than an hour at serviced apartments on Bay Street in Brighton.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Crisp told media on Monday night police were investigating reports of a phone call made to the Channel 7 newsroom by someone referencing Islamic State.
"That's all part of the investigation at this point in time as to who made that phone call, but we will certainly be working with Channel 7 in relation to that phone call," he said.
Police discovered the body of a man with gunshot wounds in the foyer.
Commissioner Ashton confirmed the man worked at the apartment building, and said he was "at the wrong place, at the wrong time".
Just before 6:00pm, Khayre left the building and shot at police, who returned fire and killed him.
Three male officers were shot by the man during the shoot-out. All sustained non-life threatening injuries.
A woman, in her 20s, who was held hostage by Khayre was rescued.
Police confirmed she was an escort worker, whom Khayre had called.
'We all hit the deck'
Graeme Hisgrove, who lives next door to the serviced apartments, said police used his backyard during their operation.
"I was out in the backyard and I heard a large bang, and when I went out on the street to see what was going on, all the police were there and told us to get back in the house," he said.
"I ran back into the house and next thing the Special Operations Group turned up and went through the house and then staked out on our boundary.
"We were just in the front room of the house and all the rapid fire started, so we all hit the deck on the floor and just didn't know what was going on."
