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  1. #1
    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    NYPD 'monitoring' terror attack in Sydney as gunmen force Australian hostages to hold

    NYPD 'monitoring' terror attack in Sydney as gunmen force Australian hostages to hold jihadist flag while police standoff develops


    • Armed men walked into the Lindt café in Sydney's Martin Place at 9.45am
    • Up to 20 people including staff and customers are being held hostage
    • A black 'shahada' jihadist flag is being held up in the window
    • Reports that hostage-taker has a shotgun and possibly an explosive device
    • Heavily armed police have sealed off area around the café
    • NYPD said it is aware of the situation and watching closely
    • Jihadists regularly encourage 'lone wolf' attacks in Western countries
    • The United States is the most prominent target


    By KIERAN CORCORAN FOR MAILONLINE and DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA REPORTER

    PUBLISHED: 19:28 EST, 14 December 2014 | UPDATED: 20:44 EST, 14 December 2014


    Police in New York are monitoring a terrorist attack in Syndey, Australia, in which as many as 20 people have been taken hostage.

    An armed siege is developing after either one of two gunmen marched into a Lindt cafe in the center of the city and forced sobbing hostages against the window.

    Australian police have sealed off the surrounding streets amid fears the attacker or attackers have a shotgun and explosives.
    In light of the attack, the NYPD said they are 'aware of what's happening in Australia', and later added: 'We are monitoring the situation in Sydney.'


    Scroll down for video


    Terrorists were today holding hostages in an armed siege in a cafe in Sydney where an extremist flag was held up in the window



    Terrified customers and employees were among those standing with their hands against the window at the Lindt cafe in Sydney

    ISIS, the terror cell to which the hostage-takers are believed to be linked, routinely encourage their supporters to make small-scale 'lone wolf' attacks to be made against the West, particularly in the United States.

    The FBI recently warned military personnel to disguise their presence on social media and suppress identifying information in case they become targets in a surprise attack.

    The Sydney incident began just hours after a 25-year-old suspect was arrested in a terror raid in Sydney.

    Officials have also evacuated the Sydney Opera House after reports of a suspicious device.

    Martin Place has been shut down and scores of police are surrounding the building after the alarm was raised about 9.45am.
    Journalist Chris Kenny, who was in the shop about 20 minutes before the siege began, said he understood the automatic glass sliding doors had been disabled.

    'I did speak to a couple of people who saw a bit more of this unfold than I did,' he said.

    'One woman said she tried to go into the shop just after I came out with my takeaway coffee but the doors wouldn't open.



    Hostages: People could be seen with their hands pressed against the window of the Lindt cafe in Sydney

    'So obviously whoever is doing this has disabled the automatic glass sliding doors to stop anyone else going in and she said immediately she could see there was a weapon.

    'The woman was quite frantic but very clear what she was telling (the police).

    'I know the faces of the people who are sitting there enjoying a morning coffee.'

    The Seven Network newsroom, which is in a building opposite the cafe, has been evacuated.

    Other buildings in Martin Place, including the nearby Westpac building, have been cleared.

    'We're just recommending no one go near Martin Place at the moment,' a New South Wales Police spokeswoman said.
    Martin Place train station has been closed and public buses are being turned away.

    A staff member at the Reserve Bank told Daily Mail Australia they were unable to be evacuated because Martin Place had been closed. Staff have been told to move away from the windows.

    Another woman who works in the government building opposite the cafe tried to call her her office to say she couldn't get past cordons and all the phone lines were down.




    Martin Place has been shut down and scores of police are surrounding the building after the alarm was raised about 9.45am



    It is unclear how many people are involved in the siege in a Lindt cafe in Martin Place but people could be seen with their hands pressed against the windows

    It was alleged that Omarjan Azari, the 22-year-old Sydney man arrested on terrorism charges in September, was planning a public beheading in Martin Place.

    The alleged terror plot, mentioned in a conversation between Australian terrorism recruiter in Syria, Mohammad Ali Barylei and Azari, involved selecting a member of the public at random, beheading them and then covering their body in a flag.

    The whole incident was going to be filmed, and then used as propaganda for the ISIS cause.

    Federal prosecutors said the alleged terror plot was 'clearly designed to shock, horror and terrify the community'



    NSW Police are telling people to stay away from the area as the train station in Martin place has been closed



    Armed NSW police officers surrounded the busy cafe following reports of armed gunmen inside

    Police Prosecutor Michael Allnutt said that Azari had made a threat which involved a 'random selection of persons to execute' during a telephone conversation with Baryalei.

    Azari was arrested on September 18 and charged with preparing for an act of terrorism.
    He is due in court this week for a bail application.

    The flag being held up in the window of the cafe is believed to be a Shahada flag, which is used by the group Jabhat al Nusra.



    At least two gunmen are involved in the siege but dozens of armed police have sealed off the streets surrounding the site
    YDNEY SIEGE: Customers and cafe workers held hostage



    Jabhat al Nusra was formed in January 2012, in the Syrian civil war to fight the Syrian government forces.

    Jabhat al Nusra, or JN, aims to overthrow the Assad regime and replace it with a Sunni Islamic state.

    Although the group is affiliated with al-Qaeda, Jabhat al-Nusra does not emphasize Western targets or global jihad, focusing instead on the 'near enemy' of the Syrian state.

    Martin Place is one of Sydney's busiest streets and is at the center of the CBD. The Lindt cafe where the hostages are being held specializes in chocolate and has a number of branches across the city.



    The flag being held up in the window of the cafe is believed to be a Shahada flag, which is used by the group, Jabhat al Nusra



    The Lindt cafe where the hostages are being held specialises in chocolate and has a number of branches across the city

    Sydney Opera House evacuated after hostage siege in the CBD




    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-develops.html

  2. #2
    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    UPDATED

    Hostages being held in Sydney, Australia cafe


    Major business area cordoned off, ISIS-style flag seen

    Thomson Reuters Posted: Dec 14, 2014 6:40 PM ET Last Updated: Dec 14, 2014 8:49 PM ET





    • A black flag with white Arabic writing could be seen in the window where hostages were being held. (David Gray/REUTERS)




    More than two dozen hostages are being held inside a central Sydney, Australia cafe where a black flag with white Arabic writing could be seen in the window, local television showed on Monday, raising fears of an attack linked to Islamic militants.

    Live television footage showed patrons inside the Lindt Chocolate Café in Martin Place standing with their hands pressed against the windows. A black and white flag similar to those used by Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria was also visible.

    Flag in Sydney cafe where hostages are being held 'is not linked with IS' http://t.co/kBSIaYKHttpic.twitter.com/KuneM4q1km
    — ITV News (@itvnews) December 15, 2014

    Part of Martin Place, home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, commercial banks and close to the New South Wales (NSW) state parliament, was closed off by armed police.

    "Specialist officers are attempting to make contact with those inside," New South Wales Police said in a statement on the force's official Facebook page.



    This image taken from a live video feed shows police in Sydney in a standoff outside a cafe where hostages are being held. (Seven/ABC)

    Sky Business quoted Lindt Australia CEO Steve Loane as saying there were "probably 30 customers" in the cafe.

    Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he was convening a meeting of the cabinet's national security committee for a briefing on what he called a hostage situation that was being handled by New South Wales Police and Australian Federal Police.

    "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," Abbott said in a statement.

    NSW Police tweeted: "A police operation is underway in Martin Place, Sydney's CBD. People are advised to avoid the area."

    Prime Minister Stephen Harper tweeted that Canadians' thoughts and prayers are with those in Australia.

    Canada's thoughts and prayers are with our Australian friends. #MartinPlace #SydneySiege
    — Stephen Harper (@pmharper) December 15, 2014

    Dozens of police including a SWAT team were setting up and a couple of hundred people were being held back by cordons.

    Trains and buses were stopped and roads were blocked in the area, with train operators saying there had been a bomb threat at Martin Place. Airspace over the area has also been closed.

    Staff at the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) are safe and accounted for, a spokeswoman said. The RBA headquarters in Martin Place was locked down with everyone safe inside.

    An Australian Broadcasting Corporation reporter said gunfire had been heard at the scene, the BBC reported, but this has not been confirmed. Major landmarks in the city such as the Sydney Opera House have been evacuated.

    U.S. consulate issues warning

    The U.S. consulate issued a statement warning its citizens "of a security incident involving at least one armed person at Lindt Chocolate Café in Martin Place in Sydney. New South Wales and Australian Federal police are addressing the threat. Please avoid the area around Martin Place until further notice."

    Daily Mail Australia reported that just moments before the hostage situation at Martin Place began, police announced the arrest of a 25-year-old man from north-western Sydney as part of a major counter-terrorism investigation.

    The Australian Federal Police apprehended the terror suspect at a home in Beecroft in Sydney's leafy north-western suburbs this morning. Seven News identified the arrested man as Ali Al Talibi, but police would not confirm this information to Daily Mail Australia.

    A NSW police spokeswoman said at the moment there was nothing to indicate a link between the two events.

    Australia, which is backing the United States and its escalating action against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, is on high alert for attacks by radicalized Muslims or by home-grown fighters returning from fighting in the Middle East.

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/hostages-being-held-in-sydney-australia-cafe-1.2873068


  3. #3
    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    Fmr. Obama CIA Chief: ‘Guaranteed’ IS Inspired Attack Similar To Sydney Will Happen In US Soon

    <font color="#3E3D3D"><span style="font-family: Arial">

    BY: Washington Free Beacon Staff
    December 15, 2014 7:52 am


    Former acting CIA Director Mike Morrell gave an ominous warning on CBS Monday morning, claiming the United States would see an attack on the homeland “sometime over the next year or so, guaranteed.”

    Commenting on the terror crisis in Australia that broke out Sunday after an apparent jihadist militanttook more than five people hostage inside a Sydney café, Morrell said Islamic State-inspired militants are likely to carry out operations in any country affiliated with the anti-IS coalition, especially the U.S.

    “What concerns me the most is we’re going see this kind of terrorism around the world and we’re going to see it here,” Morrell said.

    “We need to be prepared for that. You know, it shouldn’t surprise people when this happens here sometime over the next year or so, guaranteed.”
    Morrell also said he was
    not surprised that a crisis like this broke out in Australia, which has witnessed more than 300 of its citizens traveling to fight in Iraq and Syria, 70 of whom are fighting for IS (ISIS or ISIL).

    “ISIS has had a focus on Australia for sometime,” Morrell said. “Just a couple of months ago the Australians did a countrywide raid arresting a number of people after a senior ISIS leader called for individuals in Australia to behead Australians in public for ISIS, so there is this focus on Australia.”

    http://freebeacon.com/national-secur...so-guaranteed/



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