The two women, aged 35 and 30, and 15 others were taken hostage in a dramatic 17-hour siege at the Lindt Café in the heart of Sydney’s CBD on Monday morning.
This morning Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn confirmed the two pregnant women had been assessed and both were in a stable condition.
One of the preganant women has been identified as Julie Taylor – a colleague of barrister and mother-of-three Katrina Dawson who was one of the two hostages to be killed in the ordeal.
Ms Dawson is believed to have been having coffee with her pregnant friend when the café they were in was taken over by gunman, Man Haron Monis.
Monis, 50, began the hostage drama at 9:44am and seems to have chosen the Lindt Café – located less than 50 meters away from the Channel 7 studios – to gain immediate and maximum national attention.
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Café manager Tori Johnson is being praised a hero this morning after he was reportedly killed trying to wrestle the gun from the hostage-taker.
The gunman – a self-described cleric who was on bail after last year being charged with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife and most recently more than 40 counts of sexual assault on an alleged seven victims – was shot dead by police at 2am on Tuesday morning bringing the siege to a violent end.
NSW Police have released an update on the six people injured:
A 75 year-old female who received a gunshot wound to the shoulder – stable condition.
A 52 year-old female who received a gunshot wound to the foot – stable condition.
A 43 year old female with a gunshot wound to the leg – stable condition
A 39 year old male [police officer] who received a minor facial injury due to gunshot – treated at hospital and discharged.
A 35 year old pregnant female assessed for health and welfare purposes – stable.
A 30 year old pregnant female assessed for health and welfare purposes – stable.
