Sydney gunman had 'infatuation with extremism': Australia PM Tony Abbott

Sydney attack gunman Man Haron Monis was once prosecuted for sending offensive letters to families of Australian troops killed in Afghanistan.The deadly siege began in the most incongruous of ways, on a sunny Monday morning inside a cheerful cafe in the heart of Australia's largest city. An Iranian-born gunman burst in, took 17 workers and customers hostage, and forced some to hold a flag with an Islamic declaration of faith above the shop window's festive inscription of "Merry Christmas."After waiting 16 hours, police decided to storm the Lindt Chocolat Cafe early Tuesday after they heard a number of gunshots from inside, said New South Wales state police Commissioner Andrew Scipione.