Melbourne terror attack: ISIS claim responsibility for deadly shooting & hostage siege
ISLAMIC State has claimed responsibility for the deadly shooting and hostage situation that left two men dead in Melbourne, Australia.
By WILL KIRBY
PUBLISHED: 02:08, Tue, Jun 6, 2017 | UPDATED: 02:27, Tue, Jun 6, 2017
The gunman, who has been named by police as Yacqub Khayre, took a woman hostage in an apartment building in the upmarket Melbourne suburb of Brighton on Monday night.
Khayre was shot dead by police when he opened fire on officers with a sawn-off shotgun, wounding three officers. The body of another man, who was an employee of the serviced apartments, was discovered when police entered the building.
Yacqub Khayre (pictured) was on parole at the time of the attack
Police said the gunman arranged to meet the woman he held hostage at the Buckingham Serviced Apartments in Brighton after booking her services through an escort agency.
Victoria Police Commissioner Graham Ashton told ABC: “At the scene, when this person’s first arrived there, a man was shot, we believe, by the gunman.
“He was an employee of the serviced apartments, so he appears to have been in the wrong place at, unluckily, the wrong time.”
Authorities have confirmed they are treating the siege as an “act of terror”.
ISIS published a statement saying the attack had been carried out by one of its twisted jihadis.
The Amaq news agency reported: “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.”
Meanwhile, the Seven Network reported the gunman called the organisation saying “This is for ISIS. This is for al-Qaeda.”
GETTY
Police have cordoned off the area as investigations continue
Yet this claim appears to conflict with ISIS’s claim of direct responsibility and New York Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi, a renowned terror correspondent. Mr Callimachi said the incident appeared to fit a pattern where ISIS fanatics took matters into their own hands without necessarily receiving direct instructions from the barbaric terror cell.
The siege began at the Buckingham Serviced Apartments in Brighton on Tuesday evening after a female hostage, believed to be in her 20s, made an emergency call to tell officer se was being held against her will and a man had been killed.
Heavily armed police rushed to the scene and after a standoff, Khayre was shot dead.
Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull described the attack as “shocking and cowardly”
Speaking to reporters, he added: “It is a terrorist attack and it underlines the need for us to be constantly vigilant, never to be deterred, always defiant, in the face of Islamist terrorism.”
Khayre was on parole at the time of the attack and was jailed for an armed robbery. His time in custody was extended for poor behaviour in prison.
In 2009, he was acquitted of involvement in a terrorist plot targeting the Holsworthy army barracks in 2009.
Mr Turnbull said there were “very grave” questions that must be answered.
REUTERS
Yacqub Khayre, who was shot dead by police
He added: “I have raised these today with the Victorian premier, whom I called last night and I called again this morning.
“How was this man on parole? He had a long record of violence. A very long record of violence. He had been charged with a terrorist offence some years ago and had been acquitted.
“He was known to have connections, at least in the past, with violent extremism. But he was a known violent offender, how was he on parole?
“There have been too many cases of people on parole committing violent offences of this kind.”
ISLAMIC State has claimed responsibility for the deadly shooting and hostage situation that left two men dead in Melbourne, Australia.
By WILL KIRBY
PUBLISHED: 02:08, Tue, Jun 6, 2017 | UPDATED: 02:27, Tue, Jun 6, 2017
The gunman, who has been named by police as Yacqub Khayre, took a woman hostage in an apartment building in the upmarket Melbourne suburb of Brighton on Monday night.
Khayre was shot dead by police when he opened fire on officers with a sawn-off shotgun, wounding three officers. The body of another man, who was an employee of the serviced apartments, was discovered when police entered the building.
Yacqub Khayre (pictured) was on parole at the time of the attack
Police said the gunman arranged to meet the woman he held hostage at the Buckingham Serviced Apartments in Brighton after booking her services through an escort agency.
Victoria Police Commissioner Graham Ashton told ABC: “At the scene, when this person’s first arrived there, a man was shot, we believe, by the gunman.
“He was an employee of the serviced apartments, so he appears to have been in the wrong place at, unluckily, the wrong time.”
Authorities have confirmed they are treating the siege as an “act of terror”.
ISIS published a statement saying the attack had been carried out by one of its twisted jihadis.
The Amaq news agency reported: “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.”
Meanwhile, the Seven Network reported the gunman called the organisation saying “This is for ISIS. This is for al-Qaeda.”
Police have cordoned off the area as investigations continue
Yet this claim appears to conflict with ISIS’s claim of direct responsibility and New York Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi, a renowned terror correspondent. Mr Callimachi said the incident appeared to fit a pattern where ISIS fanatics took matters into their own hands without necessarily receiving direct instructions from the barbaric terror cell.
The siege began at the Buckingham Serviced Apartments in Brighton on Tuesday evening after a female hostage, believed to be in her 20s, made an emergency call to tell officer se was being held against her will and a man had been killed.
Heavily armed police rushed to the scene and after a standoff, Khayre was shot dead.
Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull described the attack as “shocking and cowardly”
Speaking to reporters, he added: “It is a terrorist attack and it underlines the need for us to be constantly vigilant, never to be deterred, always defiant, in the face of Islamist terrorism.”
Khayre was on parole at the time of the attack and was jailed for an armed robbery. His time in custody was extended for poor behaviour in prison.
In 2009, he was acquitted of involvement in a terrorist plot targeting the Holsworthy army barracks in 2009.
Mr Turnbull said there were “very grave” questions that must be answered.
REUTERS
Yacqub Khayre, who was shot dead by police
He added: “I have raised these today with the Victorian premier, whom I called last night and I called again this morning.
“How was this man on parole? He had a long record of violence. A very long record of violence. He had been charged with a terrorist offence some years ago and had been acquitted.
“He was known to have connections, at least in the past, with violent extremism. But he was a known violent offender, how was he on parole?
“There have been too many cases of people on parole committing violent offences of this kind.”
