First named in Australian media reports and later confirmed by a police source, Monis is a 49-year-old self-styled Islamist cleric who has faced a host of previous criminal charges.

An Iranian refugee, he is currently on bail charged with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife and mother of his two children. He moved to Australia in 1996, and assumed the title of “Sheikh Haron”.

Well-known to the authorities since he was found to have written hate letters to the families of Australian soldiers killed in overseas conflicts, Monis operates a pro-Islam website, YouTube channel, Facebook and Twitter pages in which he describes his various police charges as part of a witch hunt against him.

“Islam is the religion of peace, that's why Muslims fight against the terrorism of America and its allies,” he wrote on Twitter less than 10 days ago. His Facebook page, shut down on Monday night as the siege continued, had 14,725 “likes” when it was removed from the site, The Age newspaper reported.

[Sheikh Man Haron Monis: Sydney siege gunman identified by police as well-known Islamic cleric, by Adam Withnall, Telegraph, December 15, 2014]