Grenades and gunfire gripped Sydney as the tense hostage situation at the Lindt Chocolate cafe ended after 17 long hours.
Tori Johnson, the 34-year-old manager of Lindt Chocolate Cafe who was one of two persons killed during the Sydney siege, is being remembered as a hero with some reports claiming that he tried to snatch the weapon from the gunman to allow the other hostages to escape.
Hundreds of employees were evacuated on Tuesday from a Canberra-based department of Australia's Foreign Affairs and Trade after a suspicious package was found in the canteen of the building, which is close to Parliament House.
Two hostages who have been killed in the 17-hour-long hostage drama at a cafeteria in Sydney were identified as the manager of the Lindt Chocolate cafe and a lawyer. The 38-year-old lawyer, Katrina Dawson, was a mother of three young children who became the victim of the siege. She was a barrister at Selbourne Chambers and was married to Paul Smith, a partner at Mallesons.
Viswakanth Ankireddy, one of the two Indian Infosys employees held hostage by an Iranian-origin gunman at a popular cafe in Sydney, said on Thursday that he was recovering from his trauma and was getting better every day.
Security around high streets in the national capital, such as Connaught Place and Khan Market, has been stepped up following the 16-hour hostage crisis at Sydney's Lindt Chocolate Caf earlier this week. The terrorist attack on a Peshawar school, killing nearly 145, has intensified the checks at many restaurants, cafes and popular hangouts.
A gunman holding hostages at a popular cafe in Sydney has demanded delivery of an Islamic State flag and a conversation with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, a media report said on Monday.
Iranian-born Islamic State sympathiser Man Haron Monis began to doze off in the early hours of Tuesday when the hostages decided to escape together and on realising this he opened fire, according to a media report.
Over 40 Australian Muslim groups have expressed "utter shock and horror" over the siege at a popular Sydney cafe in which a number of people have been taken hostage, including an Indian techie.
No decision yet on the fate of the Sydney Test, which starts December 26, but for us the tour is still on, says the Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary, Sanjay Patel.
A 17-hour-long hostage drama in which a lone heavily-armed man of Iranian-origin held 17 people hostage at a cafe in central Sydney ended late Monday night (Indian Standard Time) with the police storming it, resulting in three deaths.
Even as France mourns the bloodiest terrorist attack for 20 years, let's take a look at some major standoffs witnessed in the past:
Several people, including an Indian techie, were taken hostage by an armed man at a popular caf in Sydney and forced to display an Islamic flag, triggering a security alert in Australia and leading to evacuation of key buildings, including the Indian Consulate.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances