Sydney Hostage Standoff - Could It Happen Here?

Following that dramatic 17-hour hostage standoff in Sydney, Australia, many are asking if it could happen here. INSIDE EDITION reports.

The psycho who took at least 30 people hostage in Sydney, Australia, forced the women to record videos inside the cafe where the siege was taking place.

The hostages refer to the gunman as "The Brother" and laid out his demands.

The captives were also made to raise a black-and-white flag reading "There Is No God But Allah And Muhammad Is His Messenger."

In video of the ordeal, the gunman could be seen pacing back and forth in a black vest and backpack. There was also a chilling image of a hostage making the throat-cut sign of doom.

The drama that captured the world's attention ended after 17 hours when police stormed the building and a gunfight erupted.

Hostages ran for their lives and medics were seen frantically giving life-saving CPR. Other captives were taken away on gurneys. One hostage was seen, in a video posted online, being taken to safety. Two hostages were killed, so was the gunman, a self-proclaimed Sheikh named man Haron Monis.

Last year, Monis was found guilty of sending hate mail to the families of Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan. He staged a bizarre protest, draped in chains and carried a sign saying the prosecution was political.

He once said, “This pen is my gun and these words are my bullets.” He was also accused of being an accessory in the murder of his ex-wife.

The big question now is could it happen here?

Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell had a grim warning saying on CBS This Morning, "It should not surprise people when this happens here in the next year or so. Guaranteed."