Happening in Australia right now. He was also found guilty of sending threats and charged with sexual assault and accessory to his ex wife's death.
Mostly interested in the healer claims.
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http://news.yahoo.com/australian-hostage-taker-named-iranian-refugee-criminal-past-140521721.htmlSYDNEY (Reuters) - An Iranian refugee known for sending hate mail to the families of Australian soldiers killed overseas and facing several charges of sexual assault is the armed man holding an unknown number of hostages in a Sydney cafe, a police source said on Tuesday.
Man Haron Monis, a self-styled sheikh, remained holed up in the cafe some 15 hours after the siege began.
"There's no operational reason for that name to be held back by us now," said the police source, who declined to be identified.
Monis, also known as Sheikh Haron, was charged last year with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife who was stabbed and set alight in a Sydney apartment block.
He was found guilty in 2012 of sending offensive and threatening letters to families of eight Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan, as a protest against Australia's involvement in the conflict, according to local media reports.
Earlier this year, Monis, who describes himself as a "spiritual healer", was charged with the indecent and sexual assault of a Sydney woman in 2002. Further charges were laid in October.
Monis's website shows graphic images of children that the website says were killed by U.S. and Australian airstrikes, as well as media coverage following Monis's court appearances and statements addressed to the Muslim community and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Local media reported his age at 49 or 50.
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His ex-wife's murder was not Monis' first brush with the law. In April, he was arrested and charged with one count of sexual assault and two counts of indecent assault in conjunction with a 2002 incident where a woman who visited him for a "spiritual consultation" said she was sexually assaulted at his office. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Monis had placed advertisements in a local newspaper touting his expertise in "astrology, numerology, meditation, and black magic." In October, Monis was given 40 additional charges stemming from his time as a spiritual healer. He was next due to appear in court on Feb. 27, 2015.
Read more:
http://www.businessinsider.com/reported-sydney-hostage-taker-man-haron-monis-2014-12#ixzz3Lz4Kwqod-------
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/spiritual-healer-man-haron-monis-charged-with-an-extra-40-sexual-offences-20141013-115epb.html'Spiritual healer' Man Haron Monis charged with an extra 40 sexual offences
Date October 13, 2014 Nick Ralston
A Sydney man who sent offensive letters to the families of dead Australian soldiers has been charged with an additional 40 indecent and sexual assault charges relating to his time spent as a self-proclaimed "spiritual healer".
Man Haron Monis, 49, was arrested by sex crimes squad detectives in April and charged with the indecent and sexual assault of a woman in western Sydney in 2002.
During a court appearance at Penrith last Friday he was charged with the additional offences, including 22 counts of aggravated sexual assault and 14 counts of aggravated indecent assault relating to six other women.
Police allege that Monis, who also goes by the name Mohammad Hassan Manteghi, was a self-proclaimed "spiritual healer" who operated out of premises on Station Street at Wentworthville between 2000 and 2002.
Investigations into Monis began in January when the first victim came forward and police established Strike Force Yorkfield to investigate the allegations. It led to Monis' arrest at Bexley North where he was charged and later refused bail.
Police said the woman, who was 27 at the time, allegedly saw an advertisement for "spiritual consultation" in a local newspaper and contacted Monis. He told her he was an expert in astrology, numerology, meditation and black magic and advised her to visit his clinic.
The woman visited the clinic twice within a week. On the first occasion it will be alleged that Monis indecently assaulted her. A week later he is alleged to have indecently and sexually assaulted her. "The assaults are alleged to have been undertaken under the guise of a spiritual healing technique, and the man warned the woman not to tell anyone about them," police said in a statement.
The court was told when he was arrested in April that Monis was on bail after being charged in November with being an accessory before and after the fact to the murder of his ex-wife and mother-of-two Noleen Hayson Pal.
Monis, who is also a self-styled sheikh known as Sheikh Haron, was sentenced to 300 hours of community service in September 2013 after he penned "grossly offensive" letters to the families of dead Australian soldiers.
He was also placed on a two-year good behaviour bond for 12 counts of using a postal service to cause offence.
Monis, who is currently on bail, is next due to appear in court in relation to indecent and sexual assault charges on February 27, 2015.
