Sydney siege inquest: Experts divided on whether Lindt Cafe attack was terrorism or result of mental illness
Experts are split on whether Sydney siege gunman Man Haron Monis was a terrorist or whether he was acting as a result of mental illness, an inquest has heard.
Three terrorism experts have given evidence at the inquest into the Lindt cafe siege and all agreed that Monis's mental state played a significant role in his decision to attack in December 2014.
Professor Clarke Jones from the Australian National University told the inquest he believed Monis was acting out of a need to belong and had demonstrated this desire when he tried to join the Rebels bikie gang in the months before the siege.
"I wonder if they had accepted his membership, whether we would be here today," he told the inquest.
Professor Jones said that may be why Monis claimed he was attacking Australia on behalf of the so-called Islamic State.
"I think he saw Islamic State as the one organisation that might accept him," he said.
Islamic extremism and counter-terrorism expert Professor Greg Barton told the inquest he believed the siege was an act of terrorism but he said that, compared with other lone-wolf terrorists, Monis was unusual.
"Even in the context of lone-wolf attacks, this one was an outlier," he said.
But Professor Barton said that when compared with other lone-wolf terrorists, such as Norwegian gunman Anders Breivik or the American Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Monis was not "consistent in articulating a manifest or position".
Professor Barton conceded that Monis was suffering from mental health issues and was the kind of person Islamic State sought to exploit.
"It goes after anyone who can join, it goes after damaged goods," he told the inquest.
"I think we should expect more unstable, complex individuals to emerge."
National security expert Professor Rodger Shanahan backed the theory that the siege had more to do with mental health than terrorism.
Professor Shanahan told the inquest that Monis would have been under considerable stress in the days before the siege when he lost a High Court application for leave to challenge his conviction for sending offensive letters to the families of dead Australian soldiers.
Professor Shanahan said that loss, combined with Monis's schizophrenia and the fact he was facing criminal charges of sexual assault and being an accessory to murder, would have "piled up" on him.
"I think the state of his mental health was relevant to the siege he carried out and I'm of the opinion it was not a terrorist act," he told the inquest.
"It's a great deal of stress on someone who has a violent past."
Key points:
- Three experts agreed Monis's mental state played significant role in attack
- Professor Clarke Jones said Monis acted out of need to belong; Professor Greg Barton said the attack was an act of terrorism
- Professor Rodger Shanahan said siege had more to do with mental health than terrorism
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-...-siege-as-terrorism-or-mental-illness/6726772
