Sydney's CBD is in lockdown as police negotiate with a gunman who stormed into the busy Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Martin Place on Monday morning and took customers and staff hostage. In extraordinary scenes, hostages could be seen through the cafe's windows with their hands held in the air, while heavily armed police surrounded the building. A number of hostages were being forced to hold an Islamic flag against the window shortly after the siege began at 9.45am. Thousands of workers across the city have been sent home early and some of the city's major buildings evacuated. They include the Opera House, the State Library, Channel Seven, the NSW parliamentary executive offices, the NSW Supreme Court's criminal courts, the Downing Centre, and several city legal chambers. An unknown number of staff and customers are being held at gunpoint inside the cafe. It was earlier reported that 20 hostages were being held. Terrified customers in the cafe could be seen holding an Islamic flag - which is black with white writing on it - up against the glass window. The flag appears to be a Shahada flag, not an Islamic State flag, but is associated with Islamist and jihadist movements. People evacuating the scene.
Shocking. I hope this is resolved without loss of innocent life. Thoughts go out to our friends down under.
I hate Lindt chocolate. Also, Dr Annie Ali said the flag is emotional for Muslims everywhere, so not sure if it's a case of misappropriation.
Wow. Unreal. It always enrages me to see people blindly effected by someone else's beliefs. I hope this is solved peacefully.
I hope the police storm the cafe and eliminate the threat. I believe no mercy should be shown in these situations.
Have to agree with that, although it most likely won't happen. The police won't storm in if there is people still inside.
The flag displayed by hostages inside the Lindt cafe in the Martin Place siege has the words 'There is only one God' written in white Arabic writing on a black baackground. Called the Shahada flag, it differs from the black and white flag used by the group ISIS, which has carried out beheadings in Syria. The flag belongs to the extremist group, Jabhat al Nusra, which is fighting the Assad government in Syria. Also known as the Al-Nusra Front or Victory Front, Jabhat al-Nusra is a Syrian-based Sunni extremist group that adheres to the global jihadist ideology of Al-Qaeda, the group behind the 9/11 attacks in 2001 .
back in my day we had a device called a splitter. it was a simple wooden pyramid and what you do is make the person sit on said pyramid butt cheeks spread and they end up being split down the middle! quite effective at preventing the low life's in this world from doing these things.
Lindt boss says 50 hostages being held against their will. I have been watching the live coverage from channel 7. Opera house fenced off. The construction workers are currently just standing around . A female hostage was used as a shield by the gunman as he moved around. Lindt Southbank closed. Staff closed guess the company went into a complete lock down. Limited info- news channels just trying to keep the coverage going so talking a lot of rubbish . Police commissioner addressing nation at 1:30. Sydney centre has been shut down. Transport minister encouraging people to not go into the city to keep it from being congested emergency services will need to be able to move freely.
No one said he did represent it. extremism in any religion is shunned on. Extremist prey on the weak and people who feel the need for a cause whether justified or not. This thread is not a religious debate. Merely the unravelling of news of what's happening in Sydney