Australia's highest Islamic office bearer and the Islamic council have condemned the actions of the gunman involved in Sydney's cafe Lindt siege "unequivocally" and reaffirmed that such actions are denounced "in part and in whole in Islam."
Grand Mufti Ibrahim Abu Mohamed said that he and the Australian National Imams Councils (ANIC) were devastated by the incident in which "fewer than 30" people were taken hostage by a single gunman at Martin Place, reported News.com.au.
The statement released by Mohamed said that the council along with the Australian society awaits the results of the investigation about the identity of the perpetrators and their underlying motivation behind the act.
The siege is currently being dubbed as a terrorist attack but the motivation of the gunman has not been ascertained yet. Some hostages inside the cafe were apparently forced to stand at the cafe's windows holding up a flag that bore the Islamic creed.