On Dec. 15, Man Haron Monis, a politically motivated extremist, stormed a chocolate café in Sydney, Australia and took 17 people hostage. Armed with a shotgun and a machete, he took the lives of two innocent employees during a 16-hour standoff.

The first victim, 34-year-old Tori Johnson, was the manager of Lindt Chocolate Café at Martin Place. She was shot to death after attempting to wrestle the gun away from the attacker.

The crisis began at 9 a.m. when hostages were seen pressing a black flag up against the window. Arabic writing on the flag declared that “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of God” and it was initially mistaken for a similar flag used by ISIL in their own video reports.

The lone gunman outfitted himself in a white shirt and black bandana before disabling the automatic sliding doors of the café. Two female hostages contacted a local news network with a message from Haron. The demands included meeting the Australian Prime Minister and getting a copy of the actual flag used by ISIL.

At around 4 p.m., two hostages escaped from the front entrance of the building. A third, an employee, ran out from a fire exit on the side of the building. Media outlets reported that these people were not released and got away on their own. Police later confirmed this.

Officers of the Tactical Operations Unit met two more hostages as they also escaped barely an hour later.

Initial estimates put the number of hostages inside the building at 13. A total of 17 hostages were later confirmed after police raided the building.

A 38-year-old barrister, Katrina Dawson, died of a heart attack while being transported from the scene. Only one hostage was shot besides Tori Johnson – a woman in her forties was shot in the leg and is now receiving treatment at a local hospital.

The perpetrator was identified as an Iranian-born Sunni Muslim with a lengthy criminal record.

Haron was once arrested on charges of  “using a postal or similar service to menace, harass or cause offence.” He wrote letters to the families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan in which he called the soldiers murders and compared them to the dirty body of a pig. He called the son’s body “contaminated”, according to Justice Heydon of the High Court.

Charged by NSW Police with being an accessory before and after the fact to the murder of Noleen Hayson Pal, Haron allegedly stabbed the woman and set her on fire in an apartment stairwell. Haron was also arrested and charged with sexually and indecently assaulting a young woman who went to his consultancy in Wentworthville, New South Wales.

It was reported that 7 more hostages escaped throughout the night.

The crisis ended when a Tactical Operations Unit set off a barrage of flashbang grenades and laid siege to the building. Two more groups of hostages ran out of the building as two bursts of gunshots rang out.

It was confirmed that Haron died in the raid and evacuation began before the scene was declared to be safe. Roads were diverted, trains were told not to stop, schools locked in students, and people were advised to stay indoors with windows shut.

National flags all over Australia were flown at half mast to mourn the deaths and injuries of those involved in the shooting.

It is unclear as to exactly why Man Haron Monis chose to attack the café that morning, and, besides the general political motivation he claimed, it is unlikely the story will ever arrive at greater conclusion to his motivation.

Members of the local community reached out to the families of the victims and held a memorial service outside of the store. They placed hundreds of flowers at the windows and gathered in prayer. It was a truly horrible day in Australian history that is sure to be remembered for a very long time.

Several dozen Muslim groups issued a joint statement in which they condemned the incident. Haron had no known affiliation with any major terrorist groups.