The Lindt Siege
It started as a beautiful summer morning, warm and sunny, but ended as one of the darkest days in Australia's history. December 15, 2014, is indelibly seared into the nation's psyche as the moment when terrorism came to the heart of Sydney.
Ten years on, this Sunday, Peter Overton presents a powerful special edition of 60 MINUTES, remembering the 17 hours of terror at the Lindt Café siege.
At 8.33am on that horrific day, lone-wolf gunman Man Haron Monis, claiming allegiance to Islamic State, walked into the popular café and shortly thereafter took 18 innocent people hostage. Threatening not only to shoot his captives, but also to detonate bombs he'd planted around the city, Monis wreaked havoc until 2.13am the following morning.
When the ordeal was over, not only was the terrorist dead – tragically, so were two hostages, Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson.
Through the recollections of survivors inside the café, as well as the perspectives of police and political leaders charged with ending the siege, this program is a showcase of the bravery of the men and women whose lives continue to be affected by that awful day.
It is also a tribute to the memories of the victims and a timely reminder to heed the painful lessons learnt from the tragedy to ensure such a crime never happens again in Australia.
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