Man killed by terrorist on parole in Melbourne siege identified
A receptionist tragically killed in Monday night's Melbourne siege had only just gotten married.
Nick Hao, 36, was married just 15 months ago and worked at the Brighton's Buckingham Serviced Apartments on Bay St.
Hao died at the hands of terrorist Yacqub Khayre, the man responsible for the June 5 stand off.
Khayre died in a police shootout, after reportedly making a phone call to a Channel Seven news office claiming “this is for IS”.
Dead terrorist's violent history of crime
During the stand off, residents heard what they thought was an explosion but it was shots from the gun of 29-year-old Khayre as he killed Hao.
Another 36-year-old Colombian hostage called Victoria Police about 4.11pm to report Hao’s death.
Police then swarmed the building an evacuated residents.
At the same time an alarm was triggered as Khayre removed his electronic monitoring bracelet. He had been released on parole.
The critical incident response team, special operations and bomb response unit were called in before Khayre made a chilling phone call to a Channel Seven news office.
“He said this is for IS, this is for Al Qaeda,” a Seven News employee was told.
“Obviously something like that you can’t believe what you’re hearing so I asked him to repeat it and then he said it again and hung up," the employee said.
Police then exchanged fire with Khayre after he reportedly burst out and attacked with a shotgun.
He was then killed in the shootout.
Witness Graeme Hisgrove watched the events unfold from his home.
“We were in the front room at the window watching all of the operations people taking aim at the apartments and behind fences,” he said.
“Then all of a sudden all hell broke loose and rapid fire and we all just jumped onto the floor and yelling to the kids, ‘just keep your heads down'.”
Detectives are now trying to figure out how a man on the ASIO terror watch list managed to get a hold of his gun and why he chose Brighton to carry out a deadly attack.
