Sydney Siege Hostage Marcia Mikhael Gives Exclusive Interview To Channel Seven For An ‘Undisclosed Amount’
Marcia Mikhael has given an exclusive interview to Channel Seven about her Sydney Siege experience. Mikhael was the hostage whom the Martin Place gunman used to get his message out to the world.
Mikhael, one of the 17 hostages at the Lindt Café, recorded the exclusive interview with Channel Seven's Melissa Doyle. She received an undisclosed sum for the interview, which will be aired in early February. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that other media organisations will also have an opportunity to bid for a chance to get an interview of the Sydney Siege survivor 10 days after Channel Seven airs the interview. Mikhael's lawyer Jason Arraj earlier said that the "wonderful story" of the survivor would be sold in no less than six figures.
When The Australian contacted the Westpac executive for a comment, Arraj asked for a six-figure sum. The lawyer said that Mikhael would not like to be "insulted" by anything less. According to the lawyer, Mikhael is going to give the amount to a foundation, which she is setting up. Arraj said that it had to be a "win-win business transaction" if Mikhael had to be interviewed. He said that Mikhael did not wish to be get benefited from the money she would get from the interview. She will rather spend it on her foundation, he said. When asked what Mikhael is planning to do through her foundation, her lawyer said that there was no specific plan yet about what the foundation represented. "It's not something we want to go into on a wing and a prayer," Arraj said, "We're trying to give it the consideration it deserves."
The mother of three was apparently sitting close to Katrina Dawson when she was killed by the gunman. Mikhael was the one who appeared in the Facebook video used by the gunman to put his message forward to the world. She says in the video that the Lindt Café at Martin Place is held hostage by a member of the ISI. She also says that the man who is keeping them hostage has asked for small and simple requests and none has been met. Mikhael also says in the video that the gunman wants the world to know that Australia is under attack by the Islamic State.
Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@IBTimes.com.au