Factbox-What is Islamic State, the group linked to the Bondi Beach attack? |
By Michael Georgy
DUBAI, Dec 17 (Reuters) - The shooting attack at a Jewish Hanukkah event at Sydney's Bondi Beach put the spotlight on Islamic State, which police said appeared to inspire the gunmen.
The men accused of carrying out Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years had spent time in the Philippines, where Islamic State-linked networks are known to operate.
WHAT IS ISLAMIC STATE?
The Sunni Muslim group emerged in Iraq and Syria and quickly created a "caliphate", declaring its rule over all Muslims and largely displacing al Qaeda.
At the height of its power from 2014-2017 it held swathes of the two countries, ruling over millions of people. It had a base only a 30-minute drive from Baghdad, and also held the city of Sirte on Libya's Mediterranean coast.
On its territory Islamic State sought to rule like a centralised government, imposing its interpretation of Islamic Sharia law strictly and deploying shocking........