Gunman Takes Hostages In Sydney Cafe, 'ISIS' Flags Held

[AreOut]

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/201...

[Some Gump]

Bloody cretins. Hope the girls get out OK, and an Ausie gets appropriately Max Rockatansky on their asses.

[200bhp]

I dont see how this is going to end without the loss of multiple civilian lives

[dudleybloke]

http://www.news.com.au/national/a-man-is-holding-s...

[B17NNS]

Live feed from 7NEWS here:

https://au.news.yahoo.com/video/watch/17174725/yah...

13 hostages.

[br d]

As ever, the merciful Allah will sort this out.

[Crush]

News reckon it's a sub group of ISIS with lInks to Syria, hope those in the café get out ok although I can see it turning nasty

[BlackLabel]

Oh ffs.

I hope this somehow ends with no loss of life.

[B17NNS]

Airspace above Sydney closed.

[dudleybloke]

B17NNS said:

Airspace above Sydney closed.

Has he got anti-aircraft weapons?

[dazwalsh]

Any normal hostage situation and you would have half a chance of a good outcome, but with these nutjobs who knows.

[King Herald]

BlackLabel said:

Oh ffs.

I hope this somehow ends with only loss of terrorist life.

Fixed that for you/me.

[davepoth]

Looks like they picked this cafe because it's opposite the TV station, meaning they media can't be kept away from whatever it is they're about to do.

[egor110]

dazwalsh said:

Any normal hostage situation and you would have half a chance of a good outcome, but with these nutjobs who knows.

Exactly can you negotiate with someone willing to die for there cause?

[dazwalsh]

I feel as though they are building up a global audience before there is a huge massacre, I really hope i am wrong though

[AreOut]

"My colleague Calla Wahlquist is at Martin Place, where a cafe is under siege in Sydney with a flag with Arabic writing has been hung in the window. She says a man who appears to be a priest has been escorted into the building."

so, priest trained in antiterrorism negotiations?

[B17NNS]

Opera house evacuated.

[BlackLabel]

Not that it makes a huge difference to the hostages but apparently it's not specifically an ISIS flag but a general jihadist flag. The black flag of Khorasan.

http://time.com/3430960/obama-isis-khorasan-terror...

[eharding]

B17NNS said:

Opera house evacuated.

Has the Fat Lady been put on standby?

[egor110]

You wonder if other countries allowed citizens to carry firearms if isis would still be up for hostage taking.

Most countries are a soft target, but knowing that most people in that cafe could be armed might make them re think if it's quite such a good idea when your potential targets are able to fight back.