# Sydney, Australia "Terror" Attack **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 15, 2014, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247 "2014-12-15T00:09:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/61 "2014-12-15T19:44:05Z")
Breaking news is reporting 3 dead as well, including the terrorist. (I hope nobody is going to get in a snit if I go ahead and call him a “terrorist” at this point.) ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/62 "2014-12-15T20:52:56Z")
\*\*Diceman[/n], no snit here but it’s not the word I’d use to describe him myself. - unbalanced - criminal - suicide-by-cop - armed gunman - lone gunman - colossal arsehole - not firing on all cylinders all seem to describe him more accurately IMO. But no snit here, as he did (with the help of the media) “terrorise” Sydney for a day. But it just seems a rather grand title for someone who was facing multiple charges and decided to go out in a flame of publicity, taking others with him rather than be sent back to jail. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/63 "2014-12-15T20:56:17Z")
I don’t understand refugee laws. The guy got refugee status in '96 and immediately started causing trouble, committing crimes, and going right back to causing more trouble. How easy or hard is it to lose your refugee status and get booted out of the country? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/64 "2014-12-15T21:31:46Z")
I’d be very surprised if the gunman got off a shot. The video of those flash bangs and then the fusillade of gunfire were pretty impressive. The gunman had to been initially stunned and then probably dead within seconds. It says a lot that the police aren’t commenting on who shot these people. You’d think they’d quickly blame the gunman if he was the one that fired. > **[2 Sydney hostages and gunman dead as chocolate shop siege ends after 16 hours](https://www.nydailynews.com/2014/12/15/2-sydney-hostages-and-gunman-dead-as-chocolate-shop-siege-ends-after-16-hours/)** > > It’s over. After 16 hours, the standoff between a gunman who had held as many as 17 hostages in a Sydney chocolate shop and the cops has ended, leaving three people dead. Heavily armed cops s… > [@](#): > > Two hostages, a 34-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman, were killed, cops say. Four additional hostages have been hospitalized, including a woman who was shot in the leg. Six hostages were uninjured. > > In addition, a police officer suffered a gunshot wound to the face and has been hospitalized. > > Sydney police declined to say whether the two hostages killed were caught in crossfire or shot by the gunman. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/65 "2014-12-15T21:42:08Z")
3 dead including the hostage taker. 4 in hospital. One police officer was shot but only minor injuries. It’s not clear who shot who yet. The hostage taker was [on bail](http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-siege-gunman-man-haron-monis-was-on-bail-for-40-sexual-assault-charges-and-accessory-to-murder-20141215-127u1e.html) for sexual assault and accessory to murder. He has a long history as a whackjob. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/66 "2014-12-15T23:25:26Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’d be very surprised if the gunman got off a shot. The video of those flash bangs and then the fusillade of gunfire were pretty impressive. The gunman had to been initially stunned and then probably dead within seconds. > > It says a lot that the police aren’t commenting on who shot these people. You’d think they’d quickly blame the gunman if he was the one that fired. > [2 Sydney hostages and gunman dead as chocolate shop siege ends after 16 hours – New York Daily News](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/terrorists-reportedly-sydney-cafe-article-1.2045217) The cafe owner was shot trying to wrestle the gun from the gunman. It sounds like that gunshot was what triggered the police to act when they did. [http://mobile.news.com.au/national/martin-place-cafe-siege-police-storm-cafe-and-kill-gunman-sheik-man-haron-monis/story-fncynjr2-1227157498633](http://mobile.news.com.au/national/martin-place-cafe-siege-police-storm-cafe-and-kill-gunman-sheik-man-haron-monis/story-fncynjr2-1227157498633) It’s not clear how or who shot the female hostage but one report (possibly the one I’ve linked, I can’t remember now) said she was trying to protect her pregnant friend. It would probably be irresponsible for the police to say who shot who until the autopsy results are in. It must have been a very confusing scene. ---
**Author:** ![Onyerbike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onyerbike/32/5402_2.png) [@Onyerbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onyerbike)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/67 "2014-12-16T02:36:03Z")
What a shitty ending, eh? My heart goes out to those who lost people early this morning…even to the family of the crazy person who did this. Just a few insane decisions later and three families loose loved ones is an awful turnout. I stand with the cities police I think they tried to deescalate the situation and breached only when shots were fired. There is some speculation an internal scuffle broke out within the cafe that led to an initial murder and injury before that red army shit happened (woah, my goodness!). I hope the details continue to support this version of events and that the dead hostages fall 100% on shit for brains. Far from that for now though what a bugger of a thing to happen. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/68 "2014-12-16T03:11:58Z")
this: [https://twitter.com/rupertmurdoch/status/544587566297522176](https://twitter.com/rupertmurdoch/status/544587566297522176) vulture leech words fail me ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/69 "2014-12-16T03:14:28Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I don’t understand refugee laws. The guy got refugee status in '96 and immediately started causing trouble, committing crimes, and going right back to causing more trouble. How easy or hard is it to lose your refugee status and get booted out of the country? You can’t involuntarily send a refugee back to a place where they face danger. It’s generally not considered a best practice to send them involuntarily to any third location. But you can definitely prosecute them through an existing justice system. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/70 "2014-12-16T03:24:59Z")
> [@Onyerbike](#): > > What a shitty ending, eh? My heart goes out to those who lost people early this morning…even to the family of the crazy person who did this. Just a few insane decisions later and three families loose loved ones is an awful turnout. I stand with the cities police I think they tried to deescalate the situation and breached only when shots were fired. There is some speculation an internal scuffle broke out within the cafe that led to an initial murder and injury before that red army shit happened (woah, my goodness!). I hope the details continue to support this version of events and that the dead hostages fall 100% on shit for brains. Far from that for now though what a bugger of a thing to happen. Everything i’ve read so far indicates that there was a struggle between the gunman and the cafe manager which resulted in the manager being shot. The sound of that shot was what triggered the TRG to launch into the joint. Sawn off shotgun, basically the guy wouldn’t have had time to reload before they were on him, but it certainly seems he was responsible for the 2 deaths. He definitely got off his second shot, one of the Police was taken to hospital bleeding after a shotgun pellet crazed his face. There’ll be questions asked about where he got the gun from too, no way he obtained it legally. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/71 "2014-12-16T03:25:19Z")
However, this wouldn’t necessarily stop the current administration, who have plenty of people who’ve never caused any trouble detained indefinitely, many of them underage, some of them legitimate refugees who are nevertheless still locked up because they’ve been determined via secret and unreviewable processes to be “a danger to the country” I’m actually really worried about what’s going to happen to the refugee population as a result of this guy’s actions. They’re already scapegoats and political footballs. I can’t imagine this event is going to help. ETA: in response to **sven** , obviously ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/72 "2014-12-16T03:42:35Z")
A triple murder is not international news. If these three people had died in a car accident, or from cancer, or had been hit by lightning, it never would have been mentioned at all. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/73 "2014-12-16T04:25:36Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > **A triple murder is not international news.** If these three people had died in a car accident, or from cancer, or had been hit by lightning, it never would have been mentioned at all. But a 17 hour siege is. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/74 "2014-12-16T05:42:13Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > A triple murder is not international news. If these three people had died in a car accident, or from cancer, or had been hit by lightning, it never would have been mentioned at all. And yet here we are. If you wish to open a thread about what you believe should or should not be newsworthy go right ahead. Any further posts of this type in this thread will be considered threadshitting. Do not continue. No warning issued. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/75 "2014-12-16T08:03:05Z")
> [@madrabbitwoman](#): > > this: [x.com](https://twitter.com/rupertmurdoch/status/544587566297522176) > > vulture leech words fail me Congratulations? WTF? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/76 "2014-12-16T08:13:43Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > A triple murder is not international news. If these three people had died in a car accident, or from cancer, or had been hit by lightning, it never would have been mentioned at all. But they _didn’t_ die in a MVA, from cancer or from being struck by lightning. They were held hostage by a (then considered) Islamic terrorist, an event that is rare enough in most western countries to be newsworthy. And sure, the media hyped it up to the max, and as it turned out it was just a Class One Nutjob who had a bit of a martyr complex who chose a Suicide by Cop Exit from this world. We didn’t know that then. We do now. And we’re thankful for the reprieve. So go stick yer’ head down a dunny **boffking.** 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/77 "2014-12-16T10:21:14Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > A triple murder is not international news. If these three people had died in a car accident, or from cancer, or had been hit by lightning, it never would have been mentioned at all. The murders were not the news. The news was the hostage situation carried out by an Islamic militant(s). For the first few hours no-one knew this was a lone nut. Unless you have missed the past decade you will know that Islamist attacks have not ended well lately. It’s not surprising then that much of the media world was focused on this ongoing event. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/78 "2014-12-16T17:39:19Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > But they _didn’t_ die in a MVA, from cancer or from being struck by lightning. They were held hostage by a (then considered) Islamic terrorist, an event that is rare enough in most western countries to be newsworthy. And sure, the media hyped it up to the max, and as it turned out it was just a Class One Nutjob who had a bit of a martyr complex who chose a Suicide by Cop Exit from this world. We didn’t know that then. > > We do now. And we’re thankful for the reprieve. > > So go stick yer’ head down a dunny **boffking.** > > 😉 > [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > The murders were not the news. The news was the hostage situation carried out by an Islamic militant(s). For the first few hours no-one knew this was a lone nut. Unless you have missed the past decade you will know that Islamist attacks have not ended well lately. It’s not surprising then that much of the media world was focused on this ongoing event. Hours after I tell Boffking to knock if off you both decide to continue with the threadshitting? That was not an open invitation to get in free shots because he was instructed to not continue. Anyone else who wishes to continue will be warned. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/79 "2014-12-16T18:30:00Z")
It’s newsworthy because this sort of Islamic attack is rare for Australia. We just had six people shot in Philadelphia but unfortunately, that’s not a rare occurrence in the US. In a war torn country 100’s of people can be bombed everyday but it becomes so routine it’s hardly newsworthy. It’s all relative. Anyway, I’m hearing people say it’s was only a lone crazy. But, isn’t ISIS & AQ encouraging lone attacks around the world, and doesn’t that mean this basically is an IS or AQ attack? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247/80 "2014-12-16T18:52:57Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Anyway, I’m hearing people say it’s was only a lone crazy. But, isn’t ISIS & AQ encouraging lone attacks around the world, and doesn’t that mean this basically is an IS or AQ attack? I’d say yes. We need to get used to the idea that _this_ is the new face of terrorism. Terrorist attacks in the 21st century are much more likely to consist of a single person or small group walking into a random building and shooting everyone inside than to consist of some complicated _Ocean’s 11_-esque scheme. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sydney-australia-terror-attack/707247.md?page=5)