• Sydney Gunman Man Haron Monis Well-Known by Cops, Not on Terror Watch List

    Just one day after a hostage situation at a Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Sydney, Australia's financial district ended with three dead after law enforcement stormed in, the country is left to ponder how something so sinister could have even played out there. We now know that Man Haron Monis was the 50-year-old gunman who fancied himself a sheikh with a personal agenda, but what is not clear is how he was free in the first place. Monis had a long history of brushes with the law and he was charged with everything from sexual assault to sending hate mail to the families of fallen Australian solders who died in Afghanistan. Perhaps the most horrific thing he had been charged with before yesterday was being an accessory to his former wife's murder. Apparently, Monis's latest girlfriend stabbed his ex and then set her on fire and he was actually out on bail for his part in the crime when he decided to take 17 hostages yesterday morning and demand that a flag of ISIS be brought to him. Sydney locals's shock morphed into anger when they realized that not only did their own law enforcement seem to drop the ball with Monis, but even with his outward love of Muslim extremist behavior he actually was not on any kind of terror watch list. This fact has left Prime Minister Tony Abbott deeply disturbed.

  • Sydney Cops Move in to Rescue Hostages Held in Café by Man Haron Monis, Self-Styled Iranian Sheikh with ISIS Ties

    It appears that a 15-hour standoff between a lone gunman and police has come to an end. Man Haron Monis, a self-styled Iranian sheikh, has been identified as the man who walked into a busy chocolate café in Sydney, Australia's financial district and took a number of hostages, according to AOL. The situation remains fluid, but as of now we know police stormed the cafe and, while gunshots rang out, at least some hostages were able to escape to safety. Monis already has an illustrious criminal record with various charges of sexual assault, and he also has been arrested for sending hate mail to families of Australian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan. Monis is currently free on bail after being considered an accessory to murder after his alleged girlfriend was killed and he then set his wife on fire. After taking several people hostage earlier today, said ABC News, Monis encouraged them to use social media to get his wish for an ISIS flag and a conversation with Australian political figures across to everyone listening. At times the hostages were seen pushed up against the plate-glass windows and Monis could be seen pacing wildly. After about 11 hours in captivity, five hostages were able to make a run for safety and, upon realizing it, Monis reportedly became more unstable, leading police to start to formulate their plan to go in after him.

  • Is ISIS Trying to Sell Body of Slain Hostage James Foley?

    It seems the Muslim extremist group ISIS has hit a new low — even for it. After months on end of threatening the lives of various hostages and extorting money from various governments in order to secure the release of some of those same hostages, the group has found a new way to make money. It is now ready to sell the remains of hostages who have been beheaded! According former Syrian rebel fighters, ISIS wants $1 million in exchange for the remains of James Foley, the first Western hostage who it publicly beheaded in August. A source for BuzzFeed is reporting that it is willing to provide DNA in order to prove that the remains do indeed belong to Foley, but first it want its money. Once a million dollars has changed hands, then ISIS will send the DNA to Turkey, where the deal would officially take place.

  • Photojournalist Luke Somers Dies in Ill-Fated Rescue Attempt by US Forces

    Freedom for American photojournalist Luke Somers was so close but apparently not meant to be. The 33-year-old was kidnapped a little more than a year ago in Yemen and was shown in a videotape earlier this week asking for the U.S. to meet al-Qaida militants's demands or else he would be killed. Apparently, our government believed that Somers's death was imminent, so early Saturday, Dec. 6, it made an attempt to rescue him. Sources said U.S. soldiers were only about 100 yards from Somers and another hostage that he was held with, Pierre Korkie of South Africa, when a militant quickly shot them both. New details in the failed mission have come out this morning, Dec. 7, explaining that about 40 American special operations forces were involved in the top-secret mission. They were backed up by Yemeni ground forces and only about 100 yards from the compound where Somers and Korkie were held before being spotted by militants.
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