Anonymous Call Warned About Man Haron Monis 2 Days Before Sydney Siege; Gunman Originally Planned Attack on Channel 7 – Reports

Australia’s Security Intelligence Organisation reportedly received an anonymous call about Man Haron Monis two days before the Sydney Siege. Also, the slain gunman apparently originally targeted Channel 7, but he turned to Lindt Chocolate Café at Martin Place after being put off by the TV station’s strict security.

The Sunday Telegraph reports an unknown caller tipped off the National Security hotline 48 hours before Monis took hostages of the customers and staff of the café on Monday. The caller did not suggest the gunman would be staging an attack or had a weapon. However, the call was enough for the ASIO to examine Monis’ Web sites and social media pages. Monis’ pages show his support of the Islamic State and his extremist jihadist views.

Unfortunately, the call wasn’t able to prevent Monis’ dark plan. More than 16 hours after he took people hostages inside the café, the whole episode ended with a tragic result. Two innocent lives were lost along with his own. Café manager Tori Johnson and barrister Katrina Dawson were shot by Monis before the police barged inside the premises on early Tuesday morning.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the call was taken seriously, but the information provided did not expose Monis’ threats of direct violence. NSW premier Mike Baird added that a review, which will be jointly carried out by the state and federal governments, would examine the incident, including the phone call tip-off.

Monis’ Original Plan to Attack Channel 7

Also, according to a new report, the Lindt Chocolate Café wasn’t Monis’ first choice to terrorise. The Iranian-born self-styled sheik originally wanted to take hostages within Channel 7’s studio during the live “Sunrise” broadcast. However, the strict security at the TV station had put him off.

According to the Saturday Telegraph, Monis, 50, arrived at Martin Place on Monday with the possible intention of taking hostages within the studio during the morning show’s live broadcast. But the increased security at the studio following the Islamic State threat to behead someone in September, Monis instead walked 50 metres to the Lindt Café where he executed his plan.

A government source told the paper that there are clues suggesting Monis initially planned to take hostages from Channel 7 during the live airing of its breakfast show. A report on “Today Tonight” in 2009 had dubbed him a “Fake Sheik” and exposed his history of writing offensive letters to the families of killed soldiers. The program led to his and his wife Amirah Droudis’ conviction in the High Court over the letters.

Fellow Muslims Condemn Monis

Funeral homes managed by Australian Muslim funeral directors will not be accepting the body of the hostage-taker. Monis’ body is expected to be released before Christmas after the autopsies are completed. However, no one has claimed it yet, and Muslim funeral homes are refusing to accept it.

“We don’t care about him, we don’t know him, chuck him in the bloody s---house,” Amin Sayed, funeral director with the Lebanese Muslim Association told the Telegraph. He added that no Muslim funeral home will accept the body. “Anyone who does harm to Australians, we don’t want him.”

He added, “This is not a human, this is an animal. He killed innocent people … even if you paid us $3 million we would not do his funeral.”

Muslim leader Keysar Trad said the imam of the Lakemba mosque doesn’t want Monis as well. However, Islamic laws state that no Muslim can be denied a holy funeral unless they renounce their religion before their death.

Monis converted from Shia to Sunni Islam before he attacked Lindt Café. If his widow, Droudis, would not claim his body, the government would give him a destitute burial.