~ Brave and Brilliant Strategy ~

(Via Telegraph) AS HIS eyes started to close around 2am today, the hostages inside Lindt Cafe in Martin Place realised this may be their best chance to escape their armed captor.

After 17 hours, fake sheik Man Haron Monis began to nod off when the 12 remaining hostages staged what in police parlance is a “bomb burst”. They all ran together for the exit.
In those vital last seconds, Monis “came too and realised what was going on,” sources close to the siege have revealed to The Daily Telegraph.
With his shotgun already in his hands, he began shooting.
Across the road at the Channel Seven offices, a police sniper called out: “Hostage down. Window Two.”
It is understood that hostage was hero Tori Johnson, 34, who was killed as he tried to grapple the gun from Monis. (read more)

Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson

Australia – THE manager of the Lindt cafe who was fatally shot in the Martin Place siege is being praised as a hero, responsible for allowing others trapped in the cafe to escape.
Tori Johnson, 34, was wrestling a gun from hostage-taker Man Haron Monis when he was killed.
It is understood the cafe manager decided to take action when the hostage-taker began to doze off after the siege had been ongoing for 17 hours.
He lunged at the gunman’s weapon, enabling others to flee.
The second hostage killed has been identified as Katrina Dawson, 38. The mother-of-three is the sister of well known Sydney lawyer Sandy Dawson.   Ms Dawson was tragically killed trying to defend her pregnant friend, AAP reports.
The NSW Bar Association has released a statement this morning.
“Katrina was one of our best and brightest barristers who will be greatly missed by her colleagues and friends at the NSW Bar,” Bar President Jane Needham SC said in a statement.
“She was a devoted mother of three children, and a valued member of her floor and of our Bar community.
“Our thoughts are with her family at this time, including her brother, Sandy Dawson of Banco Chambers.”
The barrister had been having coffee with her pregnant colleague when the cafe was taken over by the gunman. Her children, aged eight, five and three, were being informed of the tragic outcome this morning The Australian reports.