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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Siege is Over in Sydney; State of Alert Raised in NYC; Manhunt for Marine Suspected of Killing Ex-Wife and In-Laws Continues; Credibility of Witnesses in Michael Brown's Case; Bill Cosby's Wife Supports Her Husband

Aired December 15, 2014 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening. Thanks for joining us.

The siege is over in Sydney, Australia. But the state of alert has just gotten higher in New York City. And the questions about what led a man to take hostages in the name of ISIS then go out in a globally televised gun battle that left two people dead who just been gunned.

Tonight, we tackle the questions head on and look at the serious implications here at home. Moments ago, I spoke with Sydney's mayor, Clover Moore.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR CLOVER MOORE, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: It is a truly shocking thing to happen in our city because out city is a very harmonious, socially diverse, welcoming and inclusive city. We pride ourselves on that. And we very strongly believe that this terrible one incident doesn't change who we are and the way we feel about our city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: We'll have more of that interview coming up.

But short time ago, we got word on the identity of one of the people killed today. Her name is Katrina Dawson. She was respected local attorney, embarrassed (ph) her, and a mother of three. Terribly sad end to and especially long day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): The end of a nearly 17-hour siege that left a lone gunman and two hostages dead. Four other hostages and one police officer in the hospital and the city gripped by fear.

(GUNFIRE)

COOPER: It all began around 9:45 a.m., Monday morning, Sydney time. The gunman takes over a cafe with 17 people inside. In minutes, hundreds of police officers, including snipers surround the building. It's in the heart of Sydney's bustling business district during one of the busiest weeks of the year. The gunman identified by an official as Man Haron Monis, a self-proclaimed Muslim cleric born in Iran. Hostages are seen raising a black flag with Arabic writing that says quote "there is no God but God and Mohammad is the prophet of God." The gunman later demands an ISIS flag to replace it.