UPDATE on Sydney siege: Gunman identified as ISIS preacher

The gunman holding up to 15 people hostage in a café in Sydney, Australia has been identified as Man Haron Monis a.k.a Sheik Haron, aged 49. He is believed to be an Islamic State preacher who is on bail for accessory to murder. 

Alluding to the Daily Telegraph report, MailOnline wrote:

The 49-year-old man lives in Southwest Sydney, but is originally from Iran and a self-proclaimed sheik, and also sent hate mail to the families of Australian dead soldiers between 2007 and 2009. 

The siege in the Lindt cafe in Martin Place on Monday follows an unsuccessful attempt to have these charges overturned in the High Court on Friday, The Age reported.

Reports have it that Sheik Haron arrived as a refugee in Australia in 1996. He was charged as an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife - who was allegedly stabbed and set on fire on the staircase in her Sydney home in 2013.
 

Photos: via MailOnline