UpdateGunman who killed Chinese-born man in Melbourne hostage siege linked to 2009 terror plot
Islamic State jihadists claim responsibility after hostage-taking in Australia leaves two dead and three police wounded; gunman was linked to failed 2009 suicide-attack plot
A fatal shoot-out claimed by Islamic State (IS) was being treated as a terrorist attack by Australian police Tuesday, as the prime minister condemned it as “shocking and cowardly”.
A man of Somali background was killed in a gun battle with police when he opened fire following an hour-long standoff after taking a female escort hostage at a serviced apartment block in Melbourne on Monday evening.
It is alleged 29-year-old Yacqub Khayre, linked to a 2009 terror plot targeting an Australian army barracks, had first murdered a Chinese-born Australian man working as a receptionist in the foyer.
Police said he made statements “around al-Qaeda” and called a local television station making similar comments, reportedly: “This is for IS, this is for al-Qaeda.”
Authorities labelled the attack as a terrorism incident but added that investigations were still ongoing into whether it was planned or random.
