This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/hostage-situation-unfolding-in-sydney-prime-minister-convenes-security-briefing/2014/12/14/47f2b17c-83f1-11e4-9534-f79a23c40e6c_story.html?wprss=rss_world

The article has changed 27 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Apparent hostage situation unfolding in Sydney; prime minister convenes security briefing Hostage situation in Sydney could be linked to Islamist militants
(about 1 hour later)
SYDNEY — Hostages were being held inside a central Sydney 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. SYDNEY — A hostage situation erupted inside a chocolate shop and cafe in Australia’s largest city on Monday, with the nation’s prime minister saying it may be “politically motivated.”
Australian police confirmed that they were dealing with an “armed incident” in the cafe, where media reported hostages are being held by gunmen. New South Wales state police said that they were dealing with “an armed incident,” and that they were trying to make contact with people inside the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Sydney.
“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. Television footage shot through the cafe’s windows showed several people with their arms in the air and hands pressed against the glass, and two people holding up what appeared to be a black flag with white Arabic writing on it.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott convened a meeting of the cabinet’s national security committee for a briefing on what he called a hostage situation in Australia’s commercial capital. Zain Ali, the head of the Islamic Studies Research Unit at the University of Auckland, said it was difficult to read the message because media images showed only the lower part of the flag. But he believed it was the Shahada, or declaration of faith, largely because a black flag with white writing in a contemporary context often contains that message. He said he could make out the word “Muhammad.”
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 the conflict in the Middle East. Ali said the Shahada translates to, “There is no deity of worship except God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.” It is considered the first of Islam’s five pillars of faith, and has been used by groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State but wasn’t invented by them, Ali said.
Dozens of heavily armed police surrounded the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place, home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, commercial banks and close to the New South Wales (NSW) state parliament. “We don’t know whether this is politically motivated, although obviously there are some indications that it could be,” Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters in the nation’s capital, Canberra. “We have to appreciate that even in a society such as ours, there are people who would wish to do us harm.”
Live television footage showed patrons inside the cafe 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. A police spokeswoman said no injuries had been reported. Heavily armed officers were lined up outside the cafe, and a man with a backpack inside the cafe could be seen walking back and forth in front of the glass doors.
A couple of hundred people were being held back by cordons and the fire brigade’s hazardous unit was on the scene, a Reuters witness said. Abbott said the National Security Committee of Cabinet met to be briefed on the situation.
The Reserve Bank of Australia, near the cafe, said staff had been locked down inside the building, and were all safe and accounted for. “The whole point of politically motivated violence is to scare people out of being themselves,” Abbott said. “Australia is a peaceful, open and generous society — nothing should ever change that. And that’s why I would urge all Australians today to go about their business as usual.”
Local media reported that the nearby Sydney Opera House had been evacuated after a suspicious package was found. A staff member at the world-famous venue said she was still in the building but declined to comment further and police said they were still trying to confirm the incident. The cafe is located in Martin Place, a plaza in the heart of the city’s financial and shopping district that is packed with holiday shoppers this time of year. It is home to the state premier’s office, the Reserve Bank of Australia, and the headquarters of two of the nation’s largest banks. The state parliament house is a few blocks away. Streets in the area were closed, offices evacuated and the public told to stay away.
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. — Associated Press
Traders in currency markets said the hostage news may have contributed to a dip in the Australian dollar, which was already under pressure from global risk aversion as oil prices fell anew. The local currency was pinned at $0.8227, having hit its lowest since mid-2010 last week.
In September, Australian antiterrorism police said they had thwarted an imminent threat to behead a random member of the public and days later, a teenager in Melbourne was shot dead after attacking two antiterrorism officers with a knife.
— Reuters