Australian hostage crisis was a ‘terrorist incident’

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Tuesday termed the Melbourne hostage crisis as a “terrorist incident”, as the police launched a probe into the attack claimed by the Islamic State that left two men dead and three officers injured.

Mr Turnbull said there was no evidence to suggest that the last night’s attack was a coordinated attack and that others were involved in planning and carrying out the assault.

“This terrorist attack by a known criminal, a man who was only recently released on parole, is a shocking, cowardly crime. It is a terrorist attack and it underlines the need for us to be constantly vigilant, never to be deterred, always defiant, in the face of Islamist terrorism,” he said.

“What is clear here is that we face a growing threat from Islamist terrorism in Australia, in our region and around the world. We will continue to defy it and we will continue to defeat it.”

Mr Turnbull confirmed that the dead gunman, Yacqub Khayre, had been previously acquitted of terror-related charges, and said there were “grave questions” about why he was out on parole despite a known record of violent offending.

“I have raised these with the Victorian Premier, whom I called last night and I called again this morning. How was this man on parole? He had a long record of violence...He had been charged with a terrorist offence some years ago and had been acquitted,” he said.

“Now, there is an investigation going on at the moment. There is a lot about this incident that is not known. But we do know it was a terrorist attack and he has claimed, the offender claimed that quite specifically,” Mr Turnbull said. Meanwhile, the bomb disposal squad and forensics police today searched the scene of the siege. — PTI