[Subjectivist]

UPDATE 8:48 p.m.: 7 News Sydney reported that up to 50 people may be inside the cafe.

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UPDATE 8:05 p.m.: 7 News Sydney reported that 13 people are being held hostage in the shop. The outlet also reported that a gunman was using a young cafe worker as a human shield and that a middle-aged man wearing a black bandana was seen directing hostages inside the cafe.

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Story by the Associated Press; curated by Dave Urbanski

SYDNEY (AP) — A major police operation was underway in downtown Sydney on Monday, where several people inside a chocolate shop and cafe could be seen through the windows with their hands held in the air.

New South Wales state police would not say what was happening inside the Lindt Chocolat Cafe or whether hostages were being held. But television footage shot through the cafe’s windows showed several people with their arms in the air and hands pressed against the glass.

The footage showed two people inside the cafe holding up what appeared to be a black flag with white Arabic writing on it. It was not immediately clear what the flag said.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/12 ... dney-cafe/

[SeaGypsy]

It's Sydney with 2 Y's Sub.

BTW the flag the hostages are holding up is the Shahada, declaration of Allah as the only god & Mohammed as his prophet. It is the flag of IS.

[Subjectivist]

Oops sorry about that spelling is my lowest talent.

[SeaGypsy]

As the opener of the thread you can edit/ correct the heading. Bit irritating seeing it misspelt, since it is the name of the biggest city in the second biggest membership of this site.

[Tanada]

SeaGypsy as the man on the scene, or at least a lot closer too it than I am what can you tell us?

[SeaGypsy]

It's an all channels media blitz.
The media is trying to pretend there is no obvious Muslim extremist link here, as if there is some mystery about the Shahada flag or the man seen entering the cafe with a large bag & long beard of Middle Eastern appearance, or the Jewish links to Lindt who own the cafe which is the centre of the siege.
The moron doing this appears to be acting alone so far, has not yet communicated with the police or any outside authorities, so very little is known about his motives. As if these scum need a motive besides hatred for anyone non Muslim.

[toolpush]

Three hostages manage to escape!

[Sixstrings]

It's an all channels media blitz.
The media is trying to pretend there is no obvious Muslim extremist link here, as if there is some mystery about the Shahada flag or the man seen entering the cafe with a large bag & long beard of Middle Eastern appearance, or the Jewish links to Lindt who own the cafe which is the centre of the siege.
The moron doing this appears to be acting alone so far, has not yet communicated with the police or any outside authorities, so very little is known about his motives. As if these scum need a motive besides hatred for anyone non Muslim.

Not starting an argument SG, sorry this is happening in your country. Do you have any insight why Australia is having a bigger muslim problem lately, compared to other places in the West?

[SeaGypsy]

Get your head out of the sand 6. The world has a Muslim extremist problem

[dolanbaker]

True, this attack could have happened in just about any western country.

[Sixstrings]

Get your head out of the sand 6. The world has a Muslim extremist problem

Jesus SG, I agree with you on the extremist muslim issue.

My sense is Australia has a bigger problem with it lately, this is on the heels of that big beheading ring that was stopped by the police.

It's worth talking about this, like, generally Britain used to have the crazy muslim problem a lot more. My theory on that is council housing and having muslims on welfare and then they're more susceptable to radicalization.

In the US, other than 911 our muslim problem has generally been more like school shootings and workplace violence.

[SeaGypsy]

Bull. Its not PC to call it what it is. There have been nearly 30,000 muslim extremist attacks worldwide since 9/11.

[Sixstrings]

Bull. Its not PC to call it what it is. There have been nearly 30,000 muslim extremist attacks worldwide since 9/11.

Well you're right about that. And what was it, a week or two ago, there was a horrible attack in Qatar or somewhere against a Western teacher. And then Western schools in Egypt, before that.

I'm just saying in the US we haven't had any "behading rings" or any hostage taking like this, and knock on wood I sure hope we don't. There's got to be some difference here, in the West, with the muslim immigrants.

Maybe a UK or Canada or Australia are all just too small to have so many muslim immigrants and it's overwhelming. I was watching CNN and the "grand mufti of Australia" put out a statement condemning this. Now see, far as I know in America we don't have a "grand mufti."

I've got it figured out what the UK's trouble is, and France too -- they've got POOR muslim immigrants. Bingo, there's the problem, mostly our muslim immigrants came here for school and they've got money and are happy enough.

[SeaGypsy]

You know nothing about Islam. Virtually everything IS is doing is exactly what is in the Koran. People like you are called Dhimmi & you are a victim of Taqquiya.

[Sixstrings]

In my opinion, the right response to this thing would be swat teams IMMEDIATELY storming that cafe and ending it.

You can't allow it to go on, and for the hostage takers to get ANY propaganda or political use out of it.

The Russian kind of response is the right one, in this kind of situation. This is political terrorist hostage taking, it's not the same as a disgruntled worker or something. SWAT teams should have already stormed the cafe.

EDIT: on CNN now, the terrorists are contacting media outlets, and demanding to talk to the Australian prime minister.

Now see, that's a bunch of crap. Hopefully the Aussie gov does not give in to anything. This thing can't be allowed to go on, and you can't have the PM talking to them. You need SWAT teams storming that building ASAP and ending it and ZERO politcal or propaganda reward for these terrorists.

Playing along with them, all that's gonna do is encourage more of this in the future.

2nd edit: just saw Tony Abott speaking on CNN. He sounds way too soft on this. And the New South Wales police chief just says their goal is for nobody to get hurt.

Guys, that is not the right response. The PM shouldn't have said anything. It should be over already. You CANNOT give any reward to muslim terrorists or all you are doing is inviting more of it in the future. The only response her should have been pretty quick storming of that cafe. There is only one terrorist, he could have been taken out. This should not have dragged on at AT ALL, the only way to fight this sort of thing is to squash it FAST. Zero propaganda for them, zero political benefit.

[Shaved Monkey]

Muslims helped open up Australia they have been here for a long time peacefully.
The Ghan railway that goes North to South is named after the Afghan camel train drivers.
Unemployment, prejudice,double standards towards Muslims nations and Jewish nations causes resentment and radicalisation.
Since 9/11 the attitude towards Muslims has changed,that isnt going to deliver positive results.
All you need is a nut job every religion has them when its a Muslim nut job its a terrorist when its anyone else its just a nut job.

[SeaGypsy]

Rubbish SM. There is no parallel to what Islam is becoming in this age, none. Nobody else has the reach, the extreme indiscriminate violence, more than a billion people attached to their philosophy. Statements like you just made are just excuses, a step away from justification. You nor 6 or any other Dhimmis here can point to any equal force for evil.

[Shaved Monkey]

Why are they more radicalised now do you think?

[SeaGypsy]

Mainly because of the reach of the internet. Extremists can find each other easily, far more so than ever. Equally these are able to recruit, using the net, the Koran, leveraging conflict in places like Israel/ Palestine. On top of this is the fact of lack of basic security & food security in much of the Islamic world.

Islam needs to split. Sunni & Shia of this century, ready to renounce such evils as terrorism, child marriage, slavery, killing apostates, totally unfair laws towards women; these need to come together & call the 7th century salafist scum out & amputate this form of the religion.

As I have said elsewhere, there is some good to come of this evil, that is in Muslims needing to really assess their position in the secular world & get on with being a force for peace, instead of being cowed by the hideous savages emerging from their midst.

[sparky]

.
introducing the "lebs" in Oz is about as stupid as introducing the cane toads
everybody integrate fine , never a problem with Buddhists or others ,
those ethnics are feral , remember the Cronulla riots and gangs of "Lebs" murdering a guy who came to rescue a girl attacked by twenty of those rats .... he got stabbed in the back !