Terrorists reportedly take over Sydney cafe

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7_Sorrows said:
Any latest updates. Our cable is out.
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Hubby and I have been following this on Sky News and internet off and on throughout the day.

The gunman has apparently switched off the lights in the cafe to make it more difficult for the police to see inside.

news.sky.com/story/1391970/sydney-siege-gunman-switches-lights-out

Live updates at this link:

news.sky.com/story/1391978/live-updates-hostage-situation-in-lindt-cafe

Twitter feeds:

twitter.com/hashtag/sydneysiege?src=hash

[twitter.com/hashtag/Mart(name removed by moderator)laceSiege?src=hash](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mart(name removed by moderator)laceSiege?src=hash)

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Morwenna said:
Hubby and I have been following this on Sky News and internet off and on throughout the day.

The gunman has apparently switched off the lights in the cafe to make it more difficult for the police to see inside.

news.sky.com/story/1391970/sydney-siege-gunman-switches-lights-out

Live updates at this link:

news.sky.com/story/1391978/live-updates-hostage-situation-in-lindt-cafe

Twitter feeds:

twitter.com/hashtag/sydneysiege?src=hash

[twitter.com/hashtag/Mart(name removed by moderator)laceSiege?src=hash](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mart(name removed by moderator)laceSiege?src=hash)

.
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Thanks! 🙂
 
No updates apart from the 5 hostages who escaped.

The good thing to come from all this is the #illridewithyou, where people have taken to twitter to show their support for muslims who may not feel safe travelling on public transport while wearing religious attire, and have offered to ride with them.
 
My own (armchair) perception of this is that the gunman is a lone ranger, acting alone. Sooner or later he’s got to get some sleep. The fact that so far 5 hostages have managed to escape indicates he is operating alone and can’t be in all places at the same time.

I also don’t think ISIS planned it. It’s out of character. They’d be more likely to walk into a shopping centre or mall, and start shooting everyone in sight, regardless of the consequence to themselves.

That said, we don’t know the outcome. I hope and pray it’s bloodless, and if blood is spilt, then I hope it belongs to the gunman only.
 
nydailynews.com/news/world/terrorists-reportedly-sydney-cafe-article-1.2045217
The siege at the cafe came just hours after Australian federal authorities arrested a man in northwestern Sydney for allegedly financing terrorism.
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Federal cops said in a statement that the man was arrested “as part of continuing investigations into the planning of a terrorist attack on Australian soil and the facilitation of travel of Australian citizens to Syria to engage in armed combat.”
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The 25-year-old man, whose name was not released, was arrested as he left a prayer hall, an Australian radio station reported.
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Another man allegedly connected to the same operation is believed to already be in custody.
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The Islamist banner is described as a generic jihadist flag, on channel 7 news tonight. No mention on 7 of demands from inside the cafe. Experts say he not behaving like an ISIS or AL Qaeda linked person, who usually appear and start killing indiscriminately. No mention of bombs on channel 7. 7 is right opposite the cafe, and has a live feed of what is going on. I think Channel 10s talk of 2 bombs in the cafe and more around the city is just sour grapes at not having a good view!

The venue appears to have been chosen because of its strategic position in the CBD - right opposite Channel 7 TV station, close to many bank HQ’s, the State Premier’s Office and the American Consulate - all of which have been evacuated, and over a major subway station.

It appears that the hostages who have come out have been released by the gunman, including a pregnant woman. They probably did not escape, but the door was unlocked and they came out.

The watching police have had a change of watch, but the gunman has not, and he will be getting tired, after 14 hours of seige.

Everyone working in the exclusion zone of this drama, which is a couple of city blocks, has been asked to stay home tomorrow, even though buses will be running, trains will not stop at Martin Place. This is not near the Opera House.

3 hospitals have cleared their emergency departments, ambulances are lined along the streets near Martin Place, waiting.

Police know who the gunman is - and there was a Lebanese spokesman apologising for him on TV this morning. He has not been named.
 
I did hear his name mentioned. This can’t go on much longer because he will need sleep. He might get more erratic the more tired he becomes. Hope the negotiators can talk him into surrendering.
 
Explosions (looked/sounded like lots of flash-bangs) and gunfire as of 9:15 CST; it would appear that the Aussie LEOs have made their move.

Edit at 9:27 CST – four people have been brought out on stretchers.

Edit at 9:35 CST: Perp is an Iranian, “Sheikh Munis,” who has been involved in a hate-mail campaign directed at the families of Aussie military members who had been killed in Afghanistan. Consensus of commentators based on the now calm movements of the first responders is that the perp has been killed and his body has been left in situ until the scene has been processed. Perp’s website includes a pledge of martyrdom for ISIS.
 
DaveBj said:
Consensus of commentators based on the now calm movements of the first responders is that the perp has been killed and his body has been left in situ until the scene has been processed. Perp’s website includes a pledge of martyrdom for ISIS.
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Probably not the best thing as a Catholic to say, but looking over this guy’s rap sheet, it was not a great loss for society that the police had to put him down.
 
0945 CST: Sydney police report that the hostage crisis is officially over.

(I’m watching Fox, BTW, which is carrying the Sky News feed from Sidney.)

Edit 1005 CST: Unconfirmed reports from Fox: two hostages killed, five wounded.
 
A social media response to this:
Some Australian social-media users sent a message of solidarity to Muslims as the Sydney cafe siege stretched on for almost a day, offering to accompany anyone who felt intimidated on public transit.
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The Twitter hashtag (Hash) IllRideWithYou had been used more than 90,000 times by early Tuesday, as tweeters tried to allay fears of anti-Islamic attacks on Australia’s streets.
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CNN has been calling the terrorist a “lone wolf” despite how he made his affiliation with ISIS and global Islamic fundamentalism obvious by waving the Islamic black flag in the window.
 
livingwordunity said:
CNN has been calling the terrorist a “lone wolf” despite how he made his affiliation with ISIS and global Islamic fundamentalism obvious by waving the Islamic black flag in the window.
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At least they didn’t call it workplace violence. :rolleyes:
 
7_Sorrows said:
Was he killed? Were any hostages hurt?
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Two hostages died. One was the cafe manager who tried to grab the gunman’s weapon when he saw him getting sleepy. The other was a mother of three children under athe age of 10; she died trying to shield her pregnant friend.

I think 3 others were injured and were taken to the hospital.

Watching a memorial Mass right now being broadcast live from St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, Archbishop presiding. His homily was lovely.
 
Morwenna said:
Two hostages died. One was the cafe manager who tried to grab the gunman’s weapon when he saw him getting sleepy. The other was a mother of three children under athe age of 10; she died trying to shield her pregnant friend.

I think 3 others were injured and were taken to the hospital.
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She was a barrister grabbing a coffee with a colleague (the midway pregnant woman). She was from a well known Sydney family and suffered a heart attack but was dead by the time she got to hospital. 3 hostages were taken to hospital and a policeman who had copped a bullet to the face but not life threatening.

Blows my mind. Luckily the gunman could only get hold of a sawn off shotgun. Things could have been much worse with more firepower.
 
I am glad the siege is over. I am sorry for the deaths of two of the hostages.
 
A local news link is shown below.

abc.net.au/news/2014-12-16/sydney-siege-gunman-two-hostages-dead/5969162

He had a criminal history, probably had mental health issues of some sort, was out on bail related to a charge of murder (his wife), wrote hate mail to families of Australian soldiers killed on duty, and used the ISIL flag as a show of alleged solidarity with their cause.

Now he might have been a lone wolf, and a very mixed up one at that (even a bit of a fruit cake), but anyone who thinks the clash with Islam is going to disappear is only kidding themselves. That’s wishful thinking.

Several hostages were injured besides the two killed along with the gunman, but they’re all reported to be in a stable condition in hospital.

At the moment the Moslems seem to be intent on killing more of each other than anybody else, but sooner or later they’ll get tired of that, and then they’ll start in earnest on outsiders. That’s us.

It’s just beginning. That’s my sorry prediction.
 
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