Aussie police treat ‘cowardly’ siege as terrorism

CANBERRA: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said yesterday police were treating a deadly siege in the southern city of Melbourne as an “act of terrorism” after a claim by the Islamic State (IS) group that one of its fighters was the gunman responsible.

Police shot dead Yacqub Khayre ( pix), who they said had a long criminal history, on Monday after he killed a man in the foyer of an apartment block in Melbourne and held a woman hostage inside.

Senior officials confirmed that Yacqub had been acquitted of a plot to attack a Sydney army base in 2009 and was on parole for a violent home invasion at the time of Monday’s siege.

“This terrorist attack by a known criminal, a man who was only recently released on parole, is a shocking, cowardly crime,” Turnbull told reporters.

He questioned why Yacqub was not behind bars after a string of offences.

Australian police also said they were investigating the siege as act of terrorism after Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack via its Amaq news agency.

They identified Yacqub as a 29-yearold Australian of Somali heritage.

Amaq said the attack was launched because of Australia’s membership in a USled coalition fighting against IS in Syria and Iraq.

Victoria state police commissioner Graham Ashton said Yacqub had arranged to meet a female escort at a block of serviced apartments in the beachside Melbourne suburb of Brighton on Monday.

After shooting and killing a staff member when he arrived, Yacqub then held the woman hostage for several hours before he burst out of the building and engaged police in a firefight, during which he was killed.

The woman was unhurt but three police officers suffered gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening.

Yacqub was one of five men accused of plotting an attack on Sydney’s Holsworthy Army base to kill soldiers in 2009.

Three of the men were convicted. Yacqub and the fifth man were acquitted. – Reuters