Three Dead, Four Injured In Sydney Cafe Hostage Siege

Police in Sydney, Australia confirmed that three people were killed Tuesday as part of a hostage situation in the city's downtown area.

The 16-hour hostage situation took place at Lindt Chocolat Cafe in downtown Sydney's financial district where about 17 hostages, including cafe employees, were being held by Iranian refugee Man Haron Monis. The suspect, who was given political asylum in Australia in the 1990's, was reportedly holding to hostages as a political demonstration, holding up the black Islamic flag in the cafe's window.

Monis was one of the three people killed in Tuesday's hostage situation.

The other two were a 34-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman who were declared dead after being taken to a nearby hospital.

Four other people sustained non-life threatening injuries, including a police officer who was taken to the hospital after being hit in the face with pellet bullets.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott addressed the incident in a statement and a tweet, writing "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the two deceased hostages, the wounded and the other hostages."

Professor Jens David Ohlin of Cornell University told Reuters that Tuesday's incident reveals a new breed of terrorist.

"Today's crisis throws into sharp relief the dangers of lone wolf terrorism," the law professor said. "There are two areas of concern. The first is ISIS (Islamic State) fighters with foreign passports who return to their home countries to commit acts of terrorism." 

"The second is ISIS sympathizers radicalised on the internet who take it upon themselves to commit terrorist attacks to fulfill their radical ideology," the professor continued. 

"We are entering a new phase of terrorism that is far more dangerous, and more difficult to defeat, than al Qaeda ever was."