Brighton hostage-taker ‘had faced court over terror plot’

The Brighton hostage-taker was acquitted over an Islamic terror plot to attack the Holsworthy army base.

A picture reportedly showing Yacqub Khayre, who The Herald Sun says was behind the hostage drama in Brighton on Monday.

Victoria Police have confirmed that Yacqub Khayre was the hostage-taker killed in a hail of bullets last night at a Brighton apartment block.

Khayre was known to counter terrorism police. He was acquitted over the terror plot against the Holsworthy army barracks in Sydney in 2009.

• Brighton hostage siege: live coverage continues here

Police allege that Khayre, who was reportedly on parole, was shot after storming out of the building last night and shooting three police.

In 2012, Khayre also reportedly carried out a violent home invasion for which he was jailed for at least three years.

Exclusive: The #brighton gunman was Yacqub Khayre, once accused of taking part in an Islamic terror plot to attack an Australian army base pic.twitter.com/EFfxdVEoS9

— Paul Tatnell (@PaulTatnell) June 5, 2017

Victoria Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton confirmed this morning the siege was being treated as a terror incident.

“We believe that this person was there with those sorts of intentions, albeit we don’t know whether it was something planned at this stage,” Chief Commissioner Ashton told Seven.

“We are treating it as a terror attack.”

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the incident that left Khayre, and another man dead.

“The attack in Melbourne, Australia was carried out by a soldier of the Islamic State in response to the call for targeting the subjects of the coalition states,” the group’s Amaq news agency said.

IS blamed the attack on Australia’s membership in the US-led coalition against the militant group.

The Seven Network took a phone call in its Melbourne newsroom at 5.41pm from a woman who said she was in a hostage situation before a man came on the line saying “This is for IS, this is for al-Qaeda”.

Three police officers were wounded in the incident. The female hostage was freed.