Muslim Terrorist Takes Hostages in Sydney Cafe

Australia was gripped by terrorism on December 15 when a gunman entered a Sydney cafe and took a group of customers hostage. Sheik Man Haron Monis has been identified by police as the gunman. Monis is a self-styled preacher of the Islamic State who is on bail for accessory to murder.

Monis held as many as 15 hostages in Sydney’s Lindt Cafe. At one point, hostages were pressed against the windows of the cafe and forced to hold a black Islamic flag against the glass.

The flag displayed white Arabic text of the “Shahada,” which translates: “There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is the messenger of God.” This creed is the basic statement of the Islamic faith, and is used as a symbol of jihad, which Muslims view as their duty to struggle, oftentimes violently.

After more than 16 hours, police stormed the cafe, ending the siege. Two fatalities have been reported, one of which is the gunman.

[Update: Since this has been published, there has been one more fatality reported.]

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said it was “profoundly shocking” that people were being “held hostage by an armed person claiming political motivation.”

Followers of the Trumpet shouldn’t be shocked, however. The Trumpet has recently reported on radical Muslims teaching children as young as 6 how to be terrorists in Sydney. To learn more about that report, read “Training Australia’s Future Terrorists.”