Extremism and Islam Down Under
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2014 2:06 am
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... -live.html
'Islamists' take 20 hostages in Sydney cafe siege: live
Follow the latest developments after gunmen take hostages and display a black flag with an Islamic message at Martin Place in Sydney
Flag with Islamic writing on visible in window of Lindt cafe in Martin Place, Sydney
Flag with Arabic writing on visible in window of Lindt cafe in Martin Place, Sydney
Armed police at the siege in Sydney
By Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney, David Millward and Rosa Silverman
12:47AM GMT 15 Dec 2014
Latest
00.49 Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he has convened the National Security Committee for emergency briefings.
"This is obviously a deeply concerning incident but 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," the prime minister's office says in a statement.
00.46 A police spokesman says no injuries have been reported.
00.43 The person behind the siege has reportedly claimed he wants to speak to Tony Abbott, Australia’s prime minister, live on radio.
He reportedly told police negotiators he had “devices all over the city”.
Man seen through window in Sydney ( 7 News)
Reports suggest there are between 13 and 40 people inside the café.
00.41 Rob Crilly, the Telegraph's Pakistan Correspondent, sheds some light on the meaning of the flag:
"There's a lot of discussion about the nature of the flag hanging in the coffeeshop window. It represents the Shahada, an Islamic creed which reads: “There is no god but the God, Mohammed is the messenger of God”. However, putting it on a black background some suggest it has been appropriated as an Islamist symbol."
00.34 Dozens of police including a SWAT team are there and a couple of hundred people are being held back by cordons.
Trains and buses have been stopped and roads are blocked in the area. Train operators are saying there has been a bomb threat at Martin Place.
00.29 New South Wales state police are not saying what is happening inside the Lindt Chocolat Cafe or whether hostages were being held. But television footage shot through the cafe's windows shows several people with their arms in the air and hands pressed against the glass.
00.26 Australian police say they are also responding to an "incident" at Sydney Opera House. The Opera House was evacuated after a suspicious package was found, television channels are reporting.
00.15 Jonathan Pearlman sets the scene where the siege is taking place. "As any visitor to Sydney would know, Martin Place – the site of the siege – is effectively the heart of Sydney.
Armed police at the siege in Sydney (Pixel8000)
"The pedestrian mall is lined with stately nineteenth century buildings: it is bookended by the state parliament building at the top of the mall and the general post office at the bottom. It houses the offices of the state’s central bank, as well as two of the nation’s biggest financial institutions: Commonwealth Bank, one of the biggest banks in the world, and Macquarie Bank.
"The Lindt café, about half-way down the mall, has only been open about a decade but has become something of an institution. The café is directly opposite from the offices of the Channel Seven television station, whose reporters were shocked to see the siege unfold before them this morning.
00.05 Twenty hostages have been taken by gunmen – apparently Islamic extremists - at a popular café in Martin Place, the heart of Sydney.
The siege began at the Lindt chocolate shop café at about 9.45am, local time, and has brought the city to a standstill.
Horrifying images have emerged showing hostages holding up a black flag with Arabic writing against the café window which looks out across the busy pedestrian mall in the centre of Sydney’s central business district.
Police surround the cafe (Pixel8000)
Heavily armed police – some with guns drawn – have surrounded the cafe. Rail and services have been suspended and surrounding streets have been closed.
Police have asked the public to stay away from Martin Place, home to the offices of the nation’s Reserve Bank and some of Australia’s largest companies.
Earlier in the morning, police apparently arrested a man after a counterrorism raid in a Sydney suburb.