Hostages were made to raise a Shahada flag belonging to the extremist group Jabhat al-Nusra, which is fighting the Assad government in Syria.
Five hostages have escaped.
The cafe is located in Martin Place considered the ceremonial heart of Sydney. The Cenotaph memorial is a few blocks down the street, the U.S. Consulate is located between them. U.S. personnel are instructed to evacuate the consulate and U.S. citizens in Sydney have been warned to be aware of their surrounding, to be on guard for potential threats. The area is in lockdown, Martin Place shut, traffic rerouted, planes diverted away from the city center.
The situation is presently in siege mode. Police are attempting to wear down the hostage taker(s).
Click for enlargement.
Several photos at Daily Mail.
More information at P.J. Media, Richard Fernandez.
9 comments:
Nice to see somebody remembers Beslan.
Sit tight, wait 'em out.
I thought Australia was pretty much a gun free zone.
The gunman's name is Man Haron Monis.
Well, I hope the Aussie bitter clingers don't overreact! Because, ya know, there's nothing worse than bitter clinger subconscious bigotry!!
Police are attempting to wear down the hostages.
I hope the hostages remain strong and that the hostage takers are worn down and crushed.
Man Haron Monis, an Iranian refugee and self-styled sheik
I suspect that the police (law enforcement, not the band) are waiting until the hostage taker can no longer remain awake, and then they'll flash-bang the cafe and rush in.
As you'd expect, liberal media in Sydney are tweeting things about having empathy with the hostage taker and his family, yadda yadda yadda. Family is an odd concept, since he apparently offed his wife not so long ago.
Anyhow, the Religion of Peas is again showing why it is everyone's enemy.
Too bad the Aussies don't allow concealed carry, innit?
Oh, chicklit, I wrote that incorrectly! Thanks for the correction.
Corrected above.
Live news link.
Post a Comment