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  1. #1
    Dimitry is offline
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    Gunman takes hostages in Sydney cafe

    Currently going on as of 15-12-2014, ABC NEWS LIVESTREAM
    BBC Article


    Hundreds of armed police have sealed off Martin Place in Sydney's central business district
    At least one gunman has taken several people hostage at a cafe in the Australian city of Sydney.

    Pictures on Australian television show at least three people with their hands up against a window, and a black flag with Arabic writing.

    Hundreds of armed police have sealed off Martin Place in Sydney's central business district.

    New South Wales police have asked people to avoid the area.

    An Australian Broadcasting Corporation reporter said that gunfire had been heard at the scene, the Lindt chocolate cafe - but this has not been confirmed.

    Sydney map
    Police have also said that they are dealing with an "incident" at the Sydney Opera House which has been evacuated.

    Local media are reporting that a suspicious package was found there on Monday.

    Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has described the incident as "deeply concerning" in a statement.

    "All Australians should be reassured that our law enforcement and security agencies are well trained and equipped and are responding in a thorough and professional manner," he said.

    A National Security Committee of Cabinet has been convened for Monday morning, the PM's office said.


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    Spyder is offline
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    Gunman takes hostages in Sydney cafe

    is this by any chance close to 42 P Sherman wallaby way?

    who the hell takes hostages at a café???


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    Banana Joe is offline
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    Just read that he/they have demanded to speak with the Prime Minister + an ISIS flag.
    I think that everyone should believe in something; I believe that I'll have another drink.

    i am so thirsty for dick that i have to hide them in panda's signature just to keep the cravings down

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    Dimitry is offline
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    BBC Article

    The gunman holding people hostage in a Sydney cafe has been identified as an Iranian refugee who was on bail facing a number of charges.

    Man Haron Monis, who was granted political asylum in Australia, was described by his former lawyer as an isolated figure, who was acting alone.

    Police say they will maintain central Sydney in lockdown until the hostages are brought out unharmed.

    Talks with the gunman continued after nightfall as police ringed the cafe.

    Man Haron Monis after a court appearance in Sydney, 18 April 2011
    Mr Monis is well known to the Australian police
    A black Islamic flag has been displayed at the window. The number of those held in the Lindt cafe is not clear.

    Five people have run from the building, located in Martin Place - a busy shopping area in Sydney's financial district. It is unclear whether they were released or escaped.

    It appears the gunman has used three of the hostages to pass on demands, making them stand beside a black flag and having them make statements to a camera.

    Prime Minister Tony Abbott said it was "profoundly shocking" that people were being "held hostage by an armed person claiming political motivation".

    News organisations say he has contacted them to issue demands, which police have urged media not to report.

    Offensive letters
    Mr Monis, who styles himself as a Muslim cleric, is currently on bail for being an accessory to the murder of his former wife and is facing more than 40 sexual and indecent assault charges.

    He has also been convicted of sending offensive letters to the families of deceased Australian soldiers.

    There are reports that one of his demands is for the flag of the Islamic State militant group to be delivered to the cafe, the BBC's Jon Donnison reports.

    Jump media playerMedia player helpOut of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
    Eyewitness Andrea Proctor: "Many police officers started to come around us"
    He was seen inside the cafe wearing a backpack and a bandana.

    Channel 7, a broadcaster with offices facing the cafe, said lights inside the premises had been turned out as night fell.

    The incident had begun as people arrived for work in Martin Place early on Monday. Witnesses saw a man with a gun walk into the Lindt chocolate shop and cafe.

    About 10 employees and 30 customers were thought to be inside at the time, Lindt said. Nearby offices were evacuated.

    Police officers talk next to Lindt Cafe, Martin Place on 15 December 2014 in Sydney, Australia
    Hundreds of police have sealed off the Martin Place area
    Map
    About six hours into the siege, three people were seen running from the building. Two more people followed about an hour later.

    "Those people are now being assessed to make sure their health is okay and then police will talk to them," New South Wales Police deputy commissioner Catherine Burn said.

    line
    At the scene: Wendy Frew, BBC News, Sydney
    The atmosphere in Martin Place itself was surreal. Office workers who had been evacuated from their buildings, construction workers from building sites and tourists packed the pedestrian plaza one block away from the Lindt coffee shop.

    Rosemary D'Urso Healion had just come out of the Martin Place subway station and was walking to her office when she saw that it was blocked by police. Then she saw the police close down the subway station.

    "I work in that building [where the siege is taking place] and I was just about to go in," she told the BBC, adding that she had been in contact with some of her colleagues who were in the building but not being held hostage.

    She remained at Martin Place anxiously watching a police operation that appeared to be aimed at getting some of her colleagues out via a ladder erected on a window ledge on the first floor.

    Uneasy crowds in Sydney

    Eyewitnesses speak to the BBC

    line
    Police escort people from offices near Martin Place
    Police have been escorting people out of nearby buildings
    Shortly after the siege began TV footage showed people, thought to be employees and visibly distressed, holding up to the window a black flag bearing a declaration of the Islamic faith in Arabic.

    Martin Place is home to the state premier's office and the headquarters of major banks.

    In September Australia - which has sent fighter jets to join the US-led coalition conducting air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq - carried out a big anti-terror raid.

    One man was charged with plotting to behead a member of the public in Martin Place.

    In October, the Australian parliament approved new anti-terrorism laws, including a provision designed to stop Australians fighting in overseas conflicts.

    line
    The black flag
    A black flag bearing the white Arabic text of the "shahada", the basic statement of the Islamic faith, is used by jihadist groups worldwide

    Black flag bearing the shahada held up to a window of the Lindt Cafe in Sydney, Australia, on 15 December 2014
    The statement says: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger"
    A black flag was the battle flag of the Prophet Muhammad and was carried into battle by many of his companions
    Today, it is used as a symbol of engagement in jihad, in the sense of holy war, by militant groups including al-Qaeda and Islamic State
    Islamic State's banner - unlike the flag raised in the window of the coffee shop - bears the first part of the shahada and the seal of the Prophet below it.


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