IS propaganda praises Sydney siege gunman
The latest edition of an Islamic State propaganda magazine praises Sydney siege gunman Man Haron Monis and urges others to undertake similar attacks.
The siege at the Lindt café in Martin Place came to an end when Monis was killed by police, while two hostages also died.
In the foreword of Dabiq, the English-language magazine of IS, the terrorist group says Monis ‘brought terror to the entire nation’, Fairfax reports.
"This month, an attack was carried out in Sydney by Man Haron Monis, a Muslim who resolved to join the mujāhidīn of the Islamic State in their war against the crusader coalition," the magazine's foreword reads.
"He did not do so by undertaking the journey to the lands of the Khilāfah and fighting side-by-side with his brothers but rather, by acting alone and striking the kuffār where it would hurt them most - in their own lands and on the very streets that they presumptively walk in safety.
"It didn't take much; he got hold of a gun and stormed a cafe taking everyone inside hostage.
“Yet in doing so, he prompted mass panic, brought terror to the entire nation, and triggered an evacuation of parts of Sydney's central business district.
“The blessings in his efforts were apparent from the very outset."
The magazine also features a full page, colour photograph of Monis and quotes attributed to him.
Islamic State uses Dabiq, named after a city in Syria, as an important recruitment and propaganda tool.
Past editions have reportedly urged would-be jihadists to keep their plots simple, while also calling for attacks in countries fighting against IS, highlighting Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany as ‘important’ targets.
The latest issue of Dabiq also features what is claimed to be an interview with the Jordanian pilot captured by IS last week after his plane crashed in Syria.
In the purported interview, Maaz al-Kassasbeh describes how he was forced to eject from his jet after it was hit by a heat-seeking missile.
The Jordanian Government has vowed to do everything possible to save the pilot from his captors.
The United States has denied the plane was shot down by IS.
Morning news break – December 30
