  Sydney Siege – Recap - Dispatch - WSJ  Sydney Siege – Recap - Dispatch - WSJ








WSJ

WSJ
Facebook
Twitter





Live

Live



Realtor

Realtor



Barron's

Barron's



WSJ+

WSJ+



Product X

Product X









djx


rt


f


r&c


pe&vc


wsj


b






More


Portfolio


BigCharts


Financial News


Professor Journal


Student Journal


Virtual Stock Exchange


WSJ Classifieds


WSJ Classroom


WSJ Wine








SEARCH









	
 
	
			
			
			
					
					
						
							headline
						
						
							
							   goldman
							
												
					
				
					
					
						
							Companies
						
						
							
								
									GOLD
								
								
									Ran
									gold Resources Ltd. ADS
								
								
									U.S.
								
							
												
														
				
			
			
				
					
						View All Search Results »
					
				
			
			
		









The Wall Street Journal



Menu



HomePage
World
U.S.
New York
Business
Tech
Markets
Market Data
Opinion
Life & Culture
Real Estate
Management
CIO Journal
CFO Journal
Risk & Compliance





 
 
 
 


Also in WSJ.com:

Latest News
Today's Paper
Most Popular
Streams (TBD)
Video
Blogs

Editions

U.S.
Asia
Europe


América Latina (Spanish)
Brasil (Portuguese)
??-?? (Simplified Chinese)
??-?? (Traditional Chinese)
?? (Japanese)
?? (Korean)
Indonesia (Bahasa)
India (English)
Deutschland (German)
Russian (Russian)
Türkiye (Turkish)












Log In









Profile
My News
Saved
Portfolio
Old Portfolio
Customize Watchlist


Newsletters & Alerts
Community
Customer Center
LOGOUT



 









Message Center ( new)















Dispatch
Real-time updates and new takes on important news stories 
 












                7:04 pm  ETDec 14, 2014        

Australia 

Sydney Siege – Recap 






Article


Comments (41)





Australiahostagesiegesydney 


















 



A bouquet lies inside a secured area at the scene of the hostage taking at Martin Place Dec. 16, 2014.
Jason Reed /Reuters


Australian police stormed a Sydney cafe where a self-styled sheikh was holding several hostages at gunpoint, ending a siege lasting more than 16 hours and resulting in three deaths, including the gunman.
Here’s a recap of our live blog.
Advertisement  Sort by: Oldest Newest   7:34 pm Edit Add a Comment  Statement from the office of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott: 
INCIDENT IN MARTIN PLACE, SYDNEY
 Advertisement
New South Wales Police and the Australian Federal Police are currently responding to a reported hostage-taking incident in Martin Place in Sydney.
I have spoken with NSW Premier Mike Baird and offered him all possible Commonwealth support and assistance.
The National Security Committee of Cabinet has also convened for briefings on the situation.
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.
We will provide regular updates as further information becomes available.
  7:41 pm Edit Add a Comment  About 100 people are crowding the intersection of Castlereagh Street and Martin Place trying to see what is happening. Surrounding shops including an outlet of jewelers Tiffany & Co. have shut.
“It’s just awful–you think you’d be alright going for a coffee at the Lindt Café. It’s not somewhere you expect something like this to happen,” said one 55-year-old woman who worked nearby. She asked not to be named.
“I have lived in Sydney my whole life and I have never seen anything like this,” said Liz Riley, and 18-year-old hospitality worker, who also worked nearby. “You don’t think this is the type of thing that would happen here.”Advertisement
  7:43 pm Edit Add a Comment  Statement from New South Wales Premier Mike Baird:
All my thoughts and prayers are with those members of the public affected by the situation in Martin Place and the NSW Police who are trained to deal with these events.
I have spoken to Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and have full confidence the NSW Police are working effectively to resolve the situation.Advertisement
I will provide further information as appropriate.
  7:44 pm by James Glynn Edit Add a Comment   A New South Wales Police spokeswoman says an advisory has been issued for all members of the public to avoid the Sydney business district due to an ongoing siege situation.
Separately a spokeswoman for the Reserve Bank of Australia, which is located near the siege, reports that its operations are running as normal, and all staff are safe.  
Advertisement   7:51 pm by Rebecca Thurlow Edit Add a Comment  An eye witness interviewed by ABC television said he tried to enter the cafe this morning and found the door locked.
“It was pretty weird because it’s never locked,” the man identified only as Bruno said in the broadcast interview. “There was one guy walking around with a hat and a beard and I think I saw my manager there. I was talking to another guy. He told me it was armed robbery. That’s when the police showed up and then they cordoned off the whole area. And then that’s when everyone inside put their arms against the window, like hands up.”
He said a flag was held at the window that he took to be an Islamic State flag. “It was like a black flag with white writing on it. I didn’t really understand it,” he said. Advertisement
  7:54 pm by Daniel Stacey Edit Add a Comment  Islamic community leaders have expressed shock and anger at the siege in progress in Sydney, where up to 20 people are currently thought to be holed up in a cafe by a gunman or gunmen displaying an Islamic flag.
A spokesperson for Sydney’s Muslims Jamal Rifi slammed the siege, calling for the “full force of the law” to be used to shut it down.
“These people are a disgrace to their country and their religion,” Mr Rifi said. “They’re damaging the community.”Advertisement
“The most important thing is the safety and wellbeing of the hostages,” said Nail Aykan, general manager of the Islamic Council of Victoria.
  8:00 pm by Daniel Stacey Edit Add a Comment  The siege in Sydney is likely to ignite community tensions, and lead to acts of random retaliation against Muslims, community leaders said.
Australia has experienced sweeping terrorism raids and the police shooting of an 18 year-old Islamic State sympathizer in September, but the latest dramatic development is the first act of domestic terrorism thought to be linked to the Islamic State movement in the country.
“Muslims need to use common sense–avoid any confrontation, if anyone makes a comment just avoid it, do not enter into any altercation,” said Nail Aykan, general manager of the Islamic Council of Victoria.Advertisement
“The advice the government and our council would give is to report any incidents–it’s important for us to know what is happening.”
Those involved in the siege may be from the pool of around 70 men who authorities say have had their passports confiscated over recent months due to suspicions they planned to leave the country to fight for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, said Jamal Rifi, a spokesperson for Sydney’s Muslim community.
“They become very unpredictable,” he said. “Many of them have not been interacted with by authorities.”
  8:01 pm by Robb Stewart Edit Add a Comment  Macquarie Group Ltd., Australia’s largest investment bank, said its operations have been disrupted by the ongoing siege. Macquarie has an office at 50 Martin Place.
A Macquarie spokeswoman said some employees from its building at 50 Martin Place have been relocated to other premises in the city, while other employees in the building would work from home for the day.
Advertisement   8:03 pm Edit Add a Comment  


Vera Sprothen/The Wall Street Journal
Firefighters wait near Martin Place in central Sydney, where a suspected gunman took several people hostage.


  8:12 pm by Vera Sprothen Edit Add a Comment  Armed police have taken position around the besieged cafe. Shortly after 11.30am local time a white van sped past a crowd of journalists waiting in front of a building owned by Deutsche Bank, passed through the police cordon and pulled in sharply near the curb. Three special security personnel jumped out, dressed head-to-foot in black and with firearms slung over their shoulders. They quickly dispersed toward the scene of the siege.
Several big companies in the city center have locked their offices. Among those are Goldman Sachs, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch and Nomura, which are based in the Governor Macquarie Tower, a few hundred meters from the Lindt Chocolate Café on Martin Place.
“They’ve locked the doors, so no one can get into the building,” said a Deutsche Bank employee, who preferred not to be named and was waiting for a friend at Chifley Plaza, close to Martin Place. “They switched off the elevators, so if you want to get down from your office floor, you basically have to take the fire flights. At first I thought it was just a robbery, but then I heard reports about the flag. Scary.”Advertisement
  8:21 pm by James Glynn Edit Add a Comment  Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott will speak with the media at 0130 GMT in relation to the armed siege now underway in central Sydney. 
  8:22 pm by Rhiannon Hoyle Edit Add a Comment  “It was really stressful. I just wanted to get out of there,” said one woman evacuated from a nearby government office. Many of those evacuated were visibly shaken.
 “It is so scary, this threat of terrorism, and the really frightening thing is just how random it is,” said Liz, a 58-year-old public servant who works near Martin Place. “It’s even more awful that it’s happening now, at Christmas time,” she said.
 Workers are holding impromptu business meetings in nearby cafes.Advertisement
  8:26 pm by Robb M. Stewart Edit Add a Comment  Sydney Airport remains open and fully operational, a spokeswoman said. Similarly, the air space around the airport hasn’t been affected, she said. The airport will continue to work with state and federal policy to monitor the situation.
  8:26 pm by Rebecca Thurlow Edit Add a Comment  New South Wales police have posted this statement on their Facebook page: 
“There is a police operation underway at Martin Place. Police and emergency services have responded and a number of streets around the area have been closed. The Martin Place train station is also shut.
 Police are dealing with an armed incident and specialist officers are attempting to make contact with those inside a café.Advertisement
 Some nearby offices have been evacuated as a precaution. Anyone else in the area encompassing Hunter, George, Elizabeth and Macquarie streets bordering Martin Place is directed to remain indoors and away from open windows. Anyone in the vicinity but outside that area is free to leave their buildings.
Police urge members of the public to remain calm and note that an appropriate police presence is in place.
Police urge the media to be responsible in their reporting. Speculation can cause unnecessary alarm. We will attempt to keep you updated and Police will release more information when it has been confirmed.” 
  8:28 pm by Daniel Stacey Edit Add a Comment  Stephen Loane, the chief executive of Lindt & Sprungli in Australia which owns the Sydney cafe that is currently the site of an Islamic-linked siege, has told local media up to 10 staff and 30 customers are likely to have been in the cafe at the time it was invaded by at least one armed gunman this morning. Lindt Australia wasn’t immediately available for comment.
  8:33 pm by Rob Taylor Edit Add a Comment  Australia’s government has postponed a planned update on the country’s annual budget due to the Sydney siege.
“Due to the incident in Martin Place, Sydney, the Treasurer and Minister for Finance will postpone the release of Myefo and the 12.30 pm press conference until further notice,” Treasurer Joe Hockey said in a statement.
Myefo – which stands for Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook – contains the government’s current forecasts for indicators such as inflation and GDP.Advertisement
  8:38 pm Edit Add a Comment  Click here to see the location of the Sydney cafe siege.
  8:39 pm by James Glynn  Edit Add a Comment  New South Wales Police say a reported arrest of a man near Martin Place isn’t related to the operation currently unfolding in Sydney.
  8:43 pm Edit Add a Comment  


Vera Sprothen/The Wall Street Journal
Police near the scene.


  8:49 pm by Rebecca Thurlow Edit Add a Comment  ABC TV footage shot through the window of the Lindt Chocolate Café showed a man walking around inside wearing a backpack and a bandanna as emergency services assisted workers from other levels of the building to evacuate.
Rosemary, who works on level one and two, told the broadcaster: “It’s quite frightening. I literally just walked up to Martin Place station, walked up the stairs to get my coffee from the Lindt Café, and for some reason this morning I decided to get [it] at the station underneath. Then I got pushed back by police as I walked up the steps so it was all happening as I was approaching the steps to go up to the building,” she said.
“I feel sorry for the staff in the cafe. They must be absolutely beside themselves. I just hope it doesn’t get any worse and they have it all under control very, very soon,” she said.Advertisement
  8:50 pm by Daniel Stacey Edit Add a Comment  A partner at Australian law firm Henry Davis York, which has a head office based 100 meters (about 330 feet) from the site of the cafe siege, said firm employees are being told to remain at their desks.
“We’re not being told to evacuate, but no one is allowed to come or go,” the partner said, on the condition of anonymity. “It seems fairly under control.”
Police have set up a 200-meter cordon around the Lindt Chocolate Café, where at least one gunman is currently holding a number of staff and customers hostage, and is displaying an Islamic flag. Advertisement
  8:52 pm by Vera Sprothen Edit Add a Comment  At CQ Cafe, just opposite Sydney’s busy ferry terminal Circular Quay, manager Michael Salvartzis is visibly upset. “Lock up, guys, we have to lock up,” he shouts at his staff who are still serving cappuccinos and fruit smoothies to tourists sitting on tables in the sun. “Last orders, this is it,” Salvartzis yells across the espresso counter: “The whole CBD is locking up. We have to do it. It’s an order.” 
His cafe is normally open for 365 days a year and he hasn’t closed the cafe even once in five years. “I’ve never experienced anything like this,” he says. 
Aoife Cahill, 28, from Ireland, and Gabrielle Layzell, 33, from England are sitting amid the rush of waitresses packing up cutlery and taking last orders.  They only arrived in Sydney the night before on a plane from the tropical Northern Australian town of Cairns, and thought they had embarked on an easy three-week holiday in a peaceful country. Now they are scared, they say. “You don’t imagine this to happen in a country like Australia,” says Ms. Cahill and adds: “We’ll make sure we stay out of the city today.”Advertisement
  8:56 pm Edit Add a Comment  Latest from Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott:
*Australia Prime Minister Says Doesn’t Know Whether Siege Is Politically Motivated
*Australia Prime Minister: Some Indications Siege Could Be Politically MotivatedAdvertisement
*Australia PM Urges Australians to Go About Their Business as Usual
*Australia PM Says Situation Is Unfolding
*Australia PM Says Incident Is Very Disturbing
  9:05 pm Obama Briefed, White House Says by Julian E. Barnes Edit Add a Comment  Mr. Obama was briefed Sunday evening in Washington on the unfolding situation in Sydney, a White House official said. 
“The president has been briefed on the situation in Australia by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco,” the official said.
Advertisement   9:10 pm by WSJ Staff  Edit Add a Comment  The U.S. Consulate in Sydney issued a message to Americans in Sydney about the Martin Place siege:   
U.S. Consulate Sydney informs U.S. 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.
U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to review your personal security plan, remain aware of your surroundings including local events, and monitor local news stations for updates. Maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security.Advertisement
  9:16 pm Tony Abbott: Reason for the Siege Isn’t Yet Known by Rebecca Thurlow Edit Add a Comment  “We don’t yet know the motivation of the perpetrator. We don’t know whether this is politically motivated though obviously there are some indications that it could be,” Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said at a news conference in Canberra.
He said New South Wales police are responding to the incident with strong support from commonwealth agencies.
“We have to appreciate that even in a society such as ours, that there are people who would wish to do us harm. That’s why we have police and security organizations of the utmost professionalism that are ready and able to respond to a whole range of situations and contingencies like the situation that we are now seeing in Sydney.”Advertisement
Mr. Abbott urged Australians to go about their business usual. “The whole point of politically motivated violence is to scare people out of being themselves. Australia is a peaceful, open and generous society. Nothing should ever change that.”
  9:35 pm by Rhiannon Hoyle Edit Add a Comment  A nearby shop owner who was evacuated from a neighboring building said he was shaken by the ordeal.
“I was in my shop and all of a sudden saw a police motorcycle race by. Then an officer came in and told me to take cover under the counter. I had to hide,” he said. “Half an hour later I was evacuated–I saw a man inside the cafe with his hands against the window. It was awful.”
The 36-year-old shop owner left his business in such haste that he didn’t lock the door. He was standing at the perimeter of the cordoned-off area in the center of Sydney’s central business district, waiting to return to his shop, which he has run for 13 years. The man, who works alone, said it was the most serious incident had faced in his time running the business.Advertisement
He asked not to be named for fear that his store could be targeted.
“The whole thing is terrifying,” he said. “I hope they get the hostages out okay, but there hasn’t been much of an update as to what is happening so far.”
  9:35 pm Edit Add a Comment  Australia is home to about 476,000 Muslims, many of whom fled the violence in Lebanon in the 1970s and ’80s. Many built prosperous lives and worked to promote assimilation in mosques and community centers, inviting politicians to speak and holding open houses for people of other faiths. Read more.
  9:49 pm by Vera Sprothen Edit Add a Comment  The iconic Sydney Opera House is among the buildings that have been evacuated as part of the response to the siege.
Ryan Hawlett and about 30 other construction workers–some of them contractors and some from construction company John Holland–were among those waiting outside the Opera House for further news on the situation. In the harbor below, police in boats were on patrol. Policemen were checking bags at the escalator down to the Opera Bar, a popular spot for tourists seeking refuge from the midday sun.
Mr. Hawlett said he was working on the air conditioning when he was told to leave, along with his colleagues. His boss had told him that he was free to go home, but he didn’t want to leave behind his car, which was parked in an area that had been fenced off.Advertisement
Mr. Hawlett said he had mixed feelings about the suspected terror threat in Australia. “It’s worrying, I guess, but I trust the armed forces and the police around,” he said, adding that there was no sense of panic where he was standing. “You can’t get scared,” he said. “If you let [them] scare you, they’ve won, then they’ve done their job. So, you have to carry on with your life and not let it affect you and trust the pros.”
  9:52 pm Edit Add a Comment  Many Muslim leaders trace extremism in Australia in part to December 2005, when a fight between young Muslim men and two white lifeguards on a suburban beach near Sydney led to a demonstration that drew some 5,000 whites, some of whom chanted racist slogans and viciously attacked dark-skinned beachgoers. In the days that followed, gangs of youths, mainly of Arab descent, rampaged across Sydney’s predominantly white suburbs, smashing windows with machetes, baseball bats and other weapons. Read more.
  10:02 pm by Daniel Stacey Edit Add a Comment  Muslim leaders in Sydney are offering their services as negotiators to local police as the siege unfolds at a cafe in the city’s financial district.
Keysar Trad, the Muslim founder of an interfaith organization, the Islamic Friendship Association, said he and other leaders had met with New South Wales police this morning to discuss overnight terror arrests, when news of the siege broke.
The news was “shocking” and he and other leaders have offered to try and negotiate with the perpetrator or perpetrators of the siege if necessary.Advertisement
“We won’t go down there unless police want us to,” he added.
“We’ll do whatever we can to help. At the moment we’re just praying for those in the cafe and their families.”
 
  10:04 pm Edit Add a Comment  Latest from state police commissioner of New South Wales: 
*Australia’s New South Wales State Police Commissioner: Armed Offender Holding Undisclosed Number of Hostages in Martin Place
*Police Commissioner: Police Have Controlled Situation From Early This MorningAdvertisement
*Police Commissioner: Doing All We Can to Bring to Peaceful Resolution
*Police Commissioner Says Situation Well Contained
*Police Commissioner says Still Determining Motivation
*Police Commissioner: Still Don’t Know Where Individual Is From
*Police Commissioner: Can’t Rule Out a Terrorist Attack
*Police Commissioner Says Has Moved to Footing Consistent With Terrorism Event
*Police Commissioner Says No Direct Contact With Individual at This Stage
  10:10 pm Edit Add a Comment  Tensions with the Muslim community Australia have been exacerbated, some Muslim leaders say, by the government’s crackdown on perceived terror threats.
Australian legislators are pushing for tough new antiterror laws and plan to block radical Islamic preachers from entering the country. On Oct. 2, the government proposed banning women from wearing burqas in public viewing galleries in Parliament. Lawmakers rejected the plan after the national security service warned the measure could fuel further extremist recruitment.
Read more.Advertisement
 
  10:15 pm by Robb M. Stewart Edit Add a Comment  


Robb M. Stewart/The Wall Street Journal
The sign in the window of a Lindt cafe in Southgate, Melbourne, Australia.


A Lindt cafe in Melbourne’s Southbank district has been closed until further notice due to “emergency situations,” a sign in the window says. Tables and chairs outside the cafe have been stacked up.
Calls to two other Lindt cafes in Melbourne’s central business district weren’t answered.
According to Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG’s website, it has eight cafes in Australia.Advertisement
  10:31 pm Edit Add a Comment  Photos: Sydney Cafe Siege



David Gray/Reuters
A police officer runs across Martin Place near Lindt Chocolate Café, where hostages were being held, in central Sydney on Monday.


  10:41 pm by Rebecca Thurlow Edit Add a Comment  New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione confirmed on Monday that an armed individual is holding an undisclosed number of hostages in a building in the Martin Place area.
Police haven’t yet had contact with the individual and are still determining his motivation, but a terrorist attack can’t be ruled out, he said. 
“Certainly we’ve moved to a footing that would be a consistent with a terrorist event,” Mr. Scipione told journalists at a news conference. Advertisement
However, he said the situation is well contained and police are doing all they can to make sure the incident is resolved peacefully. 
“We will work as long as we need to, to bring this to an outcome. The officers that are there are well-trained and professional. They know what they are doing. They have trained for this and I am sure that they will get through and this will be an outcome that will be positive,” he said.
  10:55 pm by Daniel Stacey  Edit Add a Comment  The founder of a Muslim interfaith group and former advisor to an Australian grand mufti, the highest ranking Muslim in the country, said the use of a popular Islamic flag in the ongoing Sydney siege is “an act of blasphemy.”
Keysar Trad, the founder of the Islamic Friendship Association of Australia, who once worked for the former head of Australia’s Muslim community, Sheikh Taj El-Din Hamid Hilaly, said the use of the Shahadah flag in the siege is “an act of desecration of those words.” The flag contains a well-known profession of Islamic faith. 
Mr. Trad also said pictures taken of the perpetrator appear to show a “loner” who isn’t a prominent member of the Muslim community.Advertisement
Earlier in the day, a news crew from a local network captured video of a gunman in the cafe.
“I’ve seen the pictures of the perpetrator, he’s not known to the community,” said Mr. Trad. “This gives me the impression he must be a loner not engaging with the community.”
  11:03 pm by Ross Kelly Edit Add a Comment  The flag displayed in the Lindt Café window appears to resemble the so-called “black standard”, a ubiquitous symbol of jihadism that was commonly used by Chechen rebels in the 1990s, said Benjamin MacQueen, a senior lecturer in international relations at Melbourne’s Monash University.
The black flag is inscribed with the Shahadah, a profession of Muslim faith.
“It’s possible they’ve got their hands on a bit of paraphernalia that’s been floating around for a while,” Mr. MacQueen said.Advertisement
“They could be displaying it in solidarity with jihadists involved in events in Syria and Iraq–but it could also signify the attack’s not directed from anyone and they’ve just taken up the reins themselves.”
Mr. MacQueen said such attacks were hard to police because it was relatively easy for individuals to walk into public places such as stores armed with guns. The attacker’s decision to target a store in one of Sydney’s busiest financial districts, right across the road from a television studio, could be intended to publicize the reach of a movement globally, he said.
“They’ve got camera crews out and they’ve got people talking, so, in a way, no matter what happens now they’ve already succeeded,” Mr. MacQueen added.
  11:16 pm Edit Add a Comment  This message was posted on the Lindt Australia Facebook page:
We would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and kind support over the current situation at the Lindt Café at Martin Place. We are deeply concerned over this serious incident and our thoughts and prayers are with the staff and customers involved and all their friends and families. The matter is being dealt with by the authorities and we are waiting for any updates from them.
 Advertisement
  11:32 pm by Rebecca Thurlow Edit Add a Comment  New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said Sydney is being tested by the incident.
“We are being tested in Sydney today but we will face it head on,” Mr. Baird told journalists at a press conference.
“Whatever the test, we will face it head on and we will remain a democratic and civil society. We will get through this.”Advertisement
Mr. Baird urged people moving around the central business district to “be aware, be vigilant and to ensure at all times that you are also patient. There could be some disruption obviously as we go about events today.”
“We will get through this but importantly now our thoughts and prayers are with those caught up in the situation. We say to them ‘we are with them’,” he said.
  11:35 pm by Ross Kelly Edit Add a Comment  The decision by authorities to evacuate thousands of people from central Sydney and shut down some train services appear “hyper-cautious,” said one academic, who warned observers not to jump to conclusions about the identity and motivations of the individual.
“This may not be related to any particular group, it could well be somebody who’s just unhinged, such as a recent convert who’s a zealot,” said John Blaxland, a senior fellow of the Strategic Defence Studies Centre at Australian National University in Canberra.
Mr. Blaxland said some previous attacks, including the October shooting at Canada’s National War Memorial in Ottawa, have been carried out by mentally unstable individuals.Advertisement
“It’s worthwhile to have a sobering reflection on the scale and significance of this and not get overly excited too soon,” Mr. Blaxland said.
“Unfortunately in some parts of Australian society at the moment, there’s an inclination towards xenophobia and shrill interpretations of events, which I think we should be very careful about jumping in to.”
  11:48 pm Edit Add a Comment  Latest News: 
*Two People Come Out the Front Door Of the Lindt Chocolate Café in Sydney  – ABC TV  
*People Exiting Cafe Appear to Be Safe – ABC Advertisement
  11:56 pm Edit Add a Comment  Latest News: 
*Another Person Exited Fire Door in Lindt Chocolate Café Building – ABC TV
*Police Spokeswoman Can’t Immediately Confirm If Hostages Have Been Released – ABC Advertisement
  11:58 pm Edit Add a Comment  Latest News: 
*New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner: Three People Emerged From Cafe at Martin Place
Advertisement   12:03 am Edit Add a Comment  Latest News: 
*NSW Deputy Police Commissioner: Can’t Confirm How People Many Remain in Cafe
*NSW Deputy Police Commissioner: Police Negotiators Have Had Contact With Hostage TakerAdvertisement
*New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner: Number of Hostages Isn’t as High as 40
  12:08 am Edit Add a Comment  Latest News: 
*New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner: No Information to Suggest Anyone Has Been Harmed
*New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner Can’t Confirm Number of Hostage TakersAdvertisement
  12:11 am Edit Add a Comment  Latest News: 
*New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner Won’t Say Whether Improvised Explosive Device Is Involved
Advertisement   12:11 am Edit Add a Comment  Location of Sydney cafe siege.





  12:31 am Edit Add a Comment  A statement from Jen Psaki at the U.S. Department of State says “We are closely following the security incident in Sydney.  Our hearts and prayers go out to those who are being held hostage.
As Australia law enforcement officials are addressing the threat, we have advised U.S. citizens and others avoid the area around Martin Place until further notice.
U.S. citizens in Sydney are strongly encouraged to remain vigilant and aware of their surroundings, and monitor local news stations for updates.Advertisement
I can confirm that the U.S. Consulate General in Sydney has been evacuated, along with other buildings in the vicinity of Martin Place, as a security precaution.  A small group of Consulate staff continues to work from a secure location.  The Consulate remains in close contact with Australian authorities.
All Chief-of-Mission personnel have been accounted for.
We do not have additional information to offer at this time.”
  12:33 am by Rebecca Thurlow Edit Add a Comment  Three people have fled from the cafe. ABC television footage captures two people exiting the front door of the cafe and one exiting the fire door, as police pointed guns from behind shields into the doorway.
New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn confirms three people have emerged from the location at Martin Place and are talking to police.
“The first thing that we will do is make sure that they are OK and then we will work with these people to find out some more information,” Ms. Burn told reporters.Advertisement
  12:35 am Edit Add a Comment  Travel advice for Sydney is available here: www.transportnsw.info
  12:46 am Edit Add a Comment  The Indian consulate in Sydney is evacuated as news of the hostage situation sparks memories of the 2008 attacks in Mumbai. Read more.
  12:54 am by  Rebecca Thurlow Edit Add a Comment  New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn won’t say whether there are any improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, involved in the incident. Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart earlier told state parliament he has information that an IED was involved, according to a report by Australian Associated Press.
Nor will Ms. Burn confirm whether there was more than one hostage taker, but she says police have no information to indicate anyone has been harmed. She says police don’t know exactly how many people remain in the cafe but adds speculation that 30-40 people may have been taken hostage “doesn’t equate with what we would be assuming”.
She says police negotiators have been in contact with the offender and continue to have contact, although his motivation is still not known. “We will work through this. It might take a bit of time, but we want to resolve this peacefully,” Ms. Burn says.Advertisement
  1:05 am Edit Add a Comment  Latest News:
*Two More People Have Left Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Sydney, Australia’s ABC TV Reports.
Advertisement   1:08 am by Rebecca Thurlow Edit Add a Comment  Two women have just have left the cafe, local television stations are reporting. Their departure brings the total number of hostages that have left the cafe to five.
  1:39 am by Rebecca Thurlow Edit Add a Comment  A New South Wales Police spokeswoman won’t reveal where the hostages who have fled the cafe are being taken, for fear of jeopardizing their safety. 
  2:17 am Edit Add a Comment  The office of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott released this transcript of his statement: 
I want to give you a brief update on the siege in Sydney.
I have just chaired a meeting of the National Security Committee of the Cabinet, which was briefed by Premier Baird and Andrew Scipione, the New South Wales Police Commissioner, on the unfolding situation.Advertisement
This is a very disturbing incident.
It is profoundly shocking that innocent people should be held hostage by an armed person claiming political motivation.
Nevertheless, I can say that New South Wales Police and other agencies have responded to this incident with great professionalism.
Throughout the day, there has been nothing but complete and total cooperation between different Governments and different agencies.
You can be proud of the way your police and security bodies have responded to the events of this day.
I think I can also commend the people of Sydney for the calmness with which they have reacted to this disturbing incident.
We are a free, open and generous people and today we have responded to this in character.
Obviously, images have been beamed around our country and around the world.
I have received messages of support from a number of international leaders and I thank them for their encouragement on this difficult day.
Yes, it has been a difficult day. Yes, it is a day which has tested us, but, so far, like Australians in all sorts of situations, we have risen to the challenge.
 
  2:35 am by Rebecca Thurlow Edit Add a Comment  While police have said they don’t yet know why hostages were taken at the siege site in Sydney, Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s latest statement indicates the offender is “politically motivated.”
“This is a very disturbing incident. It is profoundly shocking that innocent people should be held hostage by an armed person claiming political motivation,” Mr. Abbott said in a short statement to after chairing a meeting of the cabinet’s National Security Committee. “Nevertheless, I can say that New South Wales police and other agencies have responded to this incident with great professionalism.”
Advertisement   2:36 am Edit Add a Comment  Messages of support were posted on Twitter accounts bearing the names of the New Zealand, British and Canadian Prime Ministers.
 
I’ve contacted Prime Minister @TonyAbbottMHR to let him know our thoughts are with the people of Australia today.Advertisement
— John Key (@johnkeypm) December 15, 2014


I was briefed overnight on the siege in Sydney. It’s deeply concerning and my thoughts are with all those caught up in it.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) December 15, 2014


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

  2:39 am Edit Add a Comment  Latest News:
*NSW Deputy Police Commissioner Says Will Work Into the Night if Situation Continues
*NSW Deputy Police Commissioner Confirms Five People Have Emerged From Sydney CafeAdvertisement
  3:06 am by Rob Taylor  Edit Add a Comment  Mosques, synagogues and churches across Australia have called for people to gather tonight to “pray for a peaceful resolution to the hostage situation in Sydney, for unity, and against violence, fear and hatred of all kinds,” according to alliance members behind a “National Day of Unity.” Mosques, including Australia’s largest Lakemba Mosque in western Sydney, were expected to join churches and synagogues in opening their doors starting at 8 p.m. for prayer and as a show of community solidarity. “In times of great adversity it is imperative that we remain calm, united and stand together in solidarity. Our hearts and prayers are with the hostages and their families,” said Samier Dandan, president of the Lebanese Muslim Association, in a statement.
  3:07 am by Joanna Sugden Edit Add a Comment  An Indian I.T. worker might be among the hostages, an Indian minister said.
“There is some information that one of our Indian I.T. professionals is there,” M. Venkaiah Naidu, minister for urban development told reporters in Delhi on Monday.
He added that the Indian government was keeping in touch with officials from the Indian consulate in Sydney that was evacuated earlier this morning and is located a few blocks away from the cafe where the hostages are being held. Advertisement
  3:23 am Edit Add a Comment  Video: Flag in Sydney Hostage Siege Analyzed

Advertisement   3:30 am by James Glynn Edit Add a Comment  Christmas-related events across Sydney’s business district have been cancelled, including events at Hyde Park, the Pitt Street Mall shopping area and Martin Place itself, the location of the stand-off.  
  3:38 am Uber Reverses Course on Pricing by Newley Purnell Edit Add a Comment  As the hostage crisis unfolded in Sydney, ride-hailing firm Uber moved to tamp down the latest controversy to hit the company.
Uber had drawn criticism on Twitter for saying it was raising prices to attract more drivers to the city’s central business district. Some users reported that the minimum fare had skyrocketed to 100 Australian dollars (US$82) for a ride.
An Uber spokeswoman told The Wall Street Journal when contacted that the surge in pricing had gone into effect automatically, but that “as soon as we became aware of the situation, we capped it and made all rides free to people leaving Sydney’s CBD.” Uber will refund those who paid elevated prices, she said.Advertisement
  3:46 am Edit Add a Comment  Here’s Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s earlier statement on the siege in Sydney.
 
Advertisement
  3:53 am Edit Add a Comment  Police earlier ran toward the Lindt Café  in Sydney where hostages are being held.
 
Advertisement
  4:03 am by James Glynn Edit Add a Comment  The Seven News Network, which is headquartered immediately adjacent to the cafe where hostages are being held, reports a camera still active in its newsroom has recorded the alleged gunman bringing food to hostages huddled on the floor.    
  4:25 am Edit Add a Comment  Photos: Sydney Cafe Siege



Jason Reed/Reuters


  4:31 am by James Glynn Edit Add a Comment  In response to concerns that Muslim women might be targeted on Sydney transport networks following the ongoing Sydney cafe siege, Twitter hashtags have been created to offer them protection. #i’llridewithyou and #illridewithyou have seen increased traffic in recent hours with many offers of help.     
  4:38 am Edit Add a Comment  New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione says police attention is focused on just one location in Sydney. Earlier, there were concerns that other sites in the city, such as the Opera House, might be targeted. 
  6:09 am by Dhanya Ann Thoppil Edit Add a Comment  One of the hostages being held by a gunman at a cafe in Sydney is an employee of Indian outsourcing company Infosys.
“We can confirm that one Infosys employee is among the hostages at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney,” a spokeswoman for Infosys said in a statement on Monday.
“The family of the employee has been informed and we are extending all possible support to them in this difficult time,” the company said.Advertisement
The Bangalore-based company said it is also in the process of confirming the whereabouts of all its other employees in the city. 
“We are in constant touch with the local authorities and Indian consulate in Sydney for updates on the situation on ground,” Infosys said.
The company didn’t give details about the nationality of the employee being held. A spokeswoman for the company declined to comment.
  7:18 am Edit Add a Comment  


Reuters
A woman is seen in a window of the Lindt cafe, where hostages are being held, at Martin Place in central Sydney.


  7:58 am Edit Add a Comment  


Getty Images
Police officers huddled near the Lindt Chocolate Cafe at Martin Place in Sydney on Dec. 15.


  10:13 am Edit Add a Comment  *Sixth Person Flees Besieged Cafe in Central Sydney
*Five More People Flee Besieged Sydney Cafe
*Total of 11 People Have Fled Cafe Since Siege Began MondayAdvertisement
 
  10:15 am Edit Add a Comment  *Rapid Police Gunfire at Sydney Siege
  10:20 am Edit Add a Comment  *Second Volley of Gunfire at Besieged Sydney Café
*Bomb Squad, Emergency Responders Present on Site
Advertisement   10:23 am by David Winning, Rebecca Thurlow, and Daniel Stacey Edit Add a Comment  SYDNEY—The gunman holding hostages in a central Sydney cafe for more than 16 hours has been identified as a self-styled sheikh whose website rails against perceived oppression by the U.S. and allies including Australia against Muslims.
A person close to the police operation confirmed Man Haron Monis as the armed man suspected of entering the Lindt Chocolate Café in Martin Place around 9:45 a.m. on Monday, and forcing customers and staff to drape an Islamic flag in the window, sparking concerns a terrorist attack was under way.
On a website purportedly to be Mr. Haron’s, he is described as a Sydney-based Muslim cleric and activist unaffiliated with any organization or party. The website details a string of incidents involving Mr. Haron and Australian authorities.Advertisement
A total of 11 people have fled the cafe since the siege began Monday.
  10:34 am by David Winning Edit Add a Comment  SYDNEY—Heavily armed Australian police have stormed a central Sydney café where a self-styled sheikh was holding several hostages at gunpoint, appearing to bring to an end a siege lasting more than 16 hours.
It wasn’t immediately clear if any of the hostages were killed or seriously injured by the volley of bullets, which followed loud explosions at about 2:15 a.m. Tuesday and several people fleeing the Lindt Chocolate Café, where the siege began Monday morning.
The end to the standoff came about an hour after the gunman in the café was identified as Man Haron Monis, a Sydney man whose website rails against perceived oppression by the U.S. and allies including Australia against Muslims. Advertisement
  10:42 am Edit Add a Comment  Here is video footage of the developments in Sydney.
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/live-video-event.html
 Advertisement
  10:52 am by Rhiannon Hoyle Edit Add a Comment  New South Wales police tweet the “Sydney siege is over.” A spokesman says he can’t provide any further details at this stage.
Sydney siege is over. More details to follow.
— NSW Police (@nswpolice) December 15, 2014Advertisement 

  10:56 am by Daniel Stacey, James Glynn and David Winning Edit Add a Comment  Heavily armed Australian police stormed a central Sydney café where a self-proclaimed cleric was holding hostages at gunpoint, ending a siege lasting more than 16 hours that had shut down large parts of the city’s business district.
It wasn’t immediately clear if any of the hostages were killed or seriously injured by two separate volleys of bullets, which followed loud explosions at around 2:15 a.m. Tuesday and several people fleeing the Lindt Chocolate Café, where the siege began Monday morning. Paramedics in ambulances arrived at the café within minutes of the standoff ending.
In a sign that authorities remained concern about the security of the site, bomb squad police entered the building with a robot in an attempt to detect possible explosives. Earlier in the siege, the gunman forced some of the hostages to film videos outlining his demands and to warn authorities that a number of bombs had been placed around Sydney. Police said earlier Monday that they were focused only on the area around the café.Advertisement
The end to the standoff came about an hour after the gunman in the café was named as Man Haron Monis, a Sydney man whose website rails against perceived oppression by the U.S. and allies including Australia against Muslims.
On a website purportedly to be Mr. Haron’s, he is described as a Sydney-based Muslim cleric and activist unaffiliated with any organization or party. The website details a string of incidents involving Mr. Haron and Australian authorities.
Australian had spent hours negotiating with Mr. Haron, trying to end the tense siege. Over the course of Monday, five hostages managed to escape from the cafe. At least six more fled the building just before the outbreak of gunfire and the end of the siege.
Martin Place is a pedestrian area that connects some of the city’s main shopping areas—and isn’t far from big attractions such as the Sydney Opera House and the main ferry terminal. The incident led to the closure of a number of streets and buildings before the Christmas holiday, when the area gets especially busy.
Afroz Ali, an imam based in the predominantly Muslim suburb of Bankstown in western Sydney, described Mr. Haron as a dangerous man who had possibly snapped because of his repeated disagreements with Australian authorities.
Mr. Ali said Mr. Haron was of Iranian descent but was seen as a maverick within Sydney’s Shia community. “He is not recognized by the Shia community at all—he has been operating pretty much underground,” said Mr. Ali, who runs a series of online courses for students seeking a deeper understanding of Islam and the Quran. He was speaking just before the siege ended.
Muslim leaders and antiterror experts said Mr. Haron was likely acting alone and using global movements such as Islamic State as a cloak for his own grievances. Such attacks are worrying governments because they can be hard to track and prevent. In October, a man fatally shot a soldier at Canada’s National War Memorial before being killed inside the country’s parliament building, in a terror attack that shut down the capital city.
Throughout Monday night and into Tuesday, police continued to negotiate with Mr. Haron. Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn from the New South Wales police said negotiators were hoping “to bring about a peaceful resolution to this situation.”
In the meantime, four YouTube videos, quickly deleted by Google Inc., appeared online, showing a number of female hostages making various demands on behalf of the hostage taker in front of a black flag inscribed with the Shahadah, a profession of Muslim faith. The list of demands included for an Islamic State flag to be delivered to the cafe and for a live media interview to be arranged with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
It wasn’t clear what prompted the police to storm the building under a hail of gunfire. Experts had predicted a drawn-out negotiation process, with negotiators alert to any sign the assailant is willing to give himself up to authorities. Still, Adam Dolnik, a professor at the University of Wollongong who has helped train New South Wales police in hostage negotiations, said police wouldn’t hesitate to use force if there was a sign the attacker might harm any of the hostages.
Australia has experienced sweeping terrorism raids recently, in addition to the police shooting of an 18-year-old Islamic State sympathizer in September. Muslim leaders fear the latest development risks igniting community tension,and may lead to acts of random retaliation. Around 70 men have had their passports confiscated in recent months due to suspicions they planned to leave the country to fight for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, authorities say.
Early Monday, federal police arrested a 25-year-old man from a northern Sydney suburb on suspicion of financing terrorism, but police later said there was no link to the later siege.
Nail Aykan, general manager of the Islamic Council of Victoria, worried that the siege could have a “domino effect” in wider society. Australia is home to about 476,000 Muslims, many of whom fled violence in Lebanon in the 1970s and ’80s. Many built prosperous lives and worked to promote assimilation in mosques and community centers, inviting politicians to speak and holding open houses for people of other faiths.
Mr. Abbott urged people to remain calm. “The whole point of politically motivated violence is to scare people out of being themselves,” he said. “We have to appreciate that even in a society such as ours, that there are people who would wish to do us harm. That’s why we have police and security organizations of the utmost professionalism that are ready and able to respond to a whole range of situations.”
  11:14 am by David Winning Edit Add a Comment  Chris Boyd, a 52-year-old Sydney-based lawyer, was just outside the exclusion zone when the police stormed the cafe. “I’m just distressed that this has happened in our city,” he said. “We have seen bodies coming out on stretches…I’m relieved that it is over, but I’m distressed. We heard about Canada, and now it is happening in Sydney.” He feared a backlash against Australian Muslims following the end to the siege.
  11:30 am by David Winning Edit Add a Comment  Andrew Balfe, an 18-year-old Irish national spending a year in Australia bar tending, said the scenes were “gut wrenching.” He has been in the country about six weeks. 
“It was terrifying to say the least,” said Mr. Balfe, from Wexford, who watched the end to the siege unfold from behind police barriers. “The gunfire started and the whole building lit up . You could sees everybody’s knees quaking as they scattered. This morning was child’s play. Now it looks like things have taken a turn for the worse.” 
Advertisement   12:25 pm Edit Add a Comment  There will be a police press conference on the #SydneySiege at 5 a.m. AEDT.
 
There will be a police press conference on the #SydneySiege at 5.00am AEDT.Advertisement
— The Australian (@australian) December 15, 2014

  12:31 pm by James Glynn Edit Add a Comment  A representative for the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney confirmed it has received three patients who were injured during the conclusion of the café siege, none of whom are critical. A woman in her 40s was treated for a gunshot wound to her leg and is described as stable. A 39-year-old police officer has been treated for a gunshot graze to the face and is considered stable, and a 30-year-old woman was brought to the hospital complaining of back pain.  
  12:37 pm by James Glynn Edit Add a Comment  New South Wales police have yet to comment on whether there have been any fatalities as a result of the Sydney cafe siege. 
  1:03 pm Edit Add a Comment    1:03 pm Edit Add a Comment    1:27 pm by Joe Jackson Edit Add a Comment  New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday city authorities were watching the Sydney hostage situation with “deep concern” and were beefing up security at city sites related to the Australian Government “and other pertinent locations.”
The move is typical in line with usual city law-enforcement reaction following a significant international incident. 
“Let me assure all New Yorkers that we are taking appropriate precautions…making sure we are beefing up our presence at locations related to the Australian Government and other pertinent locations around the city,” Mr de Blasio said at a late morning news conference. ” You will see substantial activity to make sure that those locations are protected.”Advertisement
Read more at Metropolis.
  1:28 pm Edit Add a Comment    1:35 pm Edit Add a Comment  *Australia Police Say 3 People Killed in Sydney Siege
*Australia Police Say Gunman Among Those Killed in Sydney Siege
*Australia Police Say 4 Other People Injured in Sydney SiegeAdvertisement
*Australia Police Say Dead Included 34-Year-Old Man, 38-Year-Old Woman
  1:49 pm Edit Add a Comment  *NSW Police Commissioner Scipione Says Investigation Into Sydney Siege Under Way*NSW Police Commissioner Scipione Says Sydney Siege Was Isolated Incident
  1:51 pm Edit Add a Comment  NSW Police Commissioner Scipione Says Armed Police Saved Lives*NSW Police Commissioner Says 17 Hostages Held in Cafe, Including Escapees
  1:51 pm Edit Add a Comment  *NSW Police Commissioner Says Gunshots Prompted Officers to Storm Cafe
  1:55 pm Edit Add a Comment  *NSW Police Commissioner Says No Explosive Devices Found in Sydney Cafe
  2:05 pm by Daniel Stacey, James Glynn and David Winning  Edit Add a Comment  SYDNEY—A siege that shut down a large part of central Sydney for more than 16 hours ended in bloodshed early Tuesday, after two hostages and their armed captor were killed when police stormed the cafe behind volleys of bullets.
New South Wales police said the lone gunman—identified as 50-year-old self-proclaimed cleric Man Haron Monis —was pronounced dead in hospital following the shootout at the Lindt Chocolate Café in Martin Place around 2:10 a.m. The two unnamed hostages, a 34-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman, also died following the confrontation between the gunman and police.
Three other hostages and one police officer were injured in the tense conclusion to one of Australia’s biggest hostage dramas in years, police said. Armed officers throwing flash grenades and firing automatic weapons had stormed the cafe minutes after some of the hostages had fled to safety. The firefight abruptly ended negotiations with the gunman that had lasted several hours.Advertisement
Read more.
  2:19 pm by Maria Abi-Habib Edit Add a Comment  Some Jihadists voiced online support for the Sydney siege Monday, taking to Twitter to praise the lone gunman and self-proclaimed cleric holed up in a cafe with several hostages in a 16-hour standoff.
 The attack drew support from Islamic State supporters and other jihadists online, denouncing Canberra as aiding and abetting U.S. military and intelligence operations in Muslim countries. The Islamic State had been calling for supporters in Western countries to launch lone wolf attacks for months, and mentioned Australia specifically in a September speech.
 “Just like you terrorize and kill the Muslims in the land of Islam the same will happen to you,” tweeted Abu Abbas al-Lubnani, a self-described supporter of Islamic State. Advertisement
Tweets from the account of one of Britain’s most high-profile radical Muslim preachers, Anjem Choudary, also pontificated on the attacks on Twitter and the role foreign forces in Muslim countries may have played. 
“#Sydney while we wait for more information what is sure is that the presence of foreign forces in the Muslim world is a cause of insecurity!,”  the tweets said. 
British police arrested Mr. Choudary in September on suspicion of supporting terrorism. Although Mr. Choudary has expressed support for the Islamic State in the past, he says he doesn’t condone violence. 
Others voiced disappointment that the attack didn’t result in more casualties. 
“You call that a siege? It’s just a minor hostage situation. Lame,” tweeted Nadim al-Muhajir, according to Site Intelligence, a jihadist monitoring group. 
As the siege unfolded and news broke that the alleged perpetrator of the attack is Man Horin Monis, an Australian of Iranian descent, the online reaction grew mixed. The Islamic State is composed of hardline Sunni Muslims, who have deep-rooted resentment for Shiites–the majority sect of Iran–whom they denounce as infidels. 
On his website, Mr. Monis described himself as a former “rafidi,” a derogatory Arabic word for Shia Muslims. It was unclear whether he formally converted to Sunni Islam.  
  2:21 pm by Rhiannon Hoyle Edit Add a Comment  Australia PM Says National Security Committee to Meet Shortly to Review Sydney Siege
 
Prime Minister’s Press Release: Advertisement
Australians awoke to the news this morning that the siege in Martin Place has ended. 
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the two deceased hostages, the wounded and the other hostages. 
I commend the courage and professionalism of the New South Wales Police and other emergency services involved. 
Early this morning I was briefed on developments by New South Wales Premier Mike Baird and New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione, as well as Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin. 
Commonwealth agencies will continue to provide every support to New South Wales authorities. 
The National Security Committee of Cabinet will meet shortly to review the situation.
 
  2:33 pm by Dhanya Ann Thoppil Edit Add a Comment  BANGALORE, India—Two of the hostages released safely after the siege at a cafe in Sydney are employees of  Infosys Ltd., one of India’s largest outsourcing companies.
 After earlier reports that one Indian IT professional was among those being held in the all-day siege, Infosys said late Monday said two of its employees had been in the cafe and had escaped unharmed.
 “Both employees have been rescued safely,” a spokeswoman for Infosys said in an emailed statement.Advertisement
 Read more at India Realtime.
  2:40 pm Edit Add a Comment  Our hearts are heavy this morning. Thinking of the victims, their families, and the brave law enforcement officers. #sydneysiege
— US Embassy Canberra (@USAembassyinOZ) December 15, 2014
Advertisement
  3:10 pm by Daniel Stacey, Ross Kelly and David Winning Edit Add a Comment  SYDNEY—A siege that shut down a large part of central Sydney for more than 16 hours ended early Tuesday after two hostages and their armed captor were killed when police stormed the cafe amid a hail of bullets from both sides. 
New South Wales police said the lone gunman was pronounced dead in the hospital following the shootout at the Lindt Chocolate Café in Sydney’s Martin Place district around 2:10 a.m. Two unnamed hostages, a 34-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman, were killed in the shootout, though police didn’t say whether the victims’ wounds came from the gunman or from police. 
Andrew Scipione, New South Wales’s police commissioner, said officers stormed the building after hearing gunshots from inside. After hours of fruitless negotiations with the gunman, officers threw flash grenades and fired automatic weapons into the cafe. Advertisement
Mr. Scipione said there were 17 hostages in all at the cafe, a popular stop for office workers and shoppers. The crisis began around 9:45 a.m. Monday, and several hostages managed to escape. 
“Unbelievably overnight we have lost some of our own in an attack we would never think we would see in our city,” said Mike Baird, premier of New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state. “In the past 24 hours this city has been changed by a tragedy that none of us would have ever imagined.”
Read more.
  4:33 pm Edit Add a Comment  *Australia PM Says Will Take Time to Clarify Exactly What Happened in Martin Pl and Why
*Australia PM Says State and Commonwealth Agencies Investigating
*Australia PM Says There Are People in Our Community Ready to Engage in Politically Motivated ViolenceAdvertisement
*Australia PM Says Australians Are Resilient, Ready to Respond
*Australia PM Says ‘Tragic Beyond Words’ People Should Have Been Caught Up in Such an Incident
  4:59 pm Edit Add a Comment  In a post on the Lindt Chocolate Café Australia Facebook page, executives say they are “devastated” by the lives lost in the Sydney siege.
“I cannot believe that such an act of violence happened,” says Ernst Tanner, Lindt & Sprüngl Chairman and Group CEO.
The company says it will provide support to victims, their families and employees.Advertisement
  5:08 pm Edit Add a Comment  NSW Premier Mike Baird Statement: Remembering the Victims of the Lindt Café Siege
The Premier of New South Wales Mike Baird has announced flags on all NSW Government buildings will fly at half-mast today to honour those who tragically lost their lives in the siege at the Lindt café in Sydney’s CBD.
The Premier is also inviting people who wish to lay a floral tribute to the victims to do so at Martin Place. Condolence books will also be provided later today near the Martin Place water fountain, facing Pitt Street.Advertisement
“Today the people of NSW and Australia have the heaviest of hearts and we are taking steps to allow the community to share our collective grief,” Mr. Baird said.
“Overnight we lost two of our own people, in an attack we thought we’d never see here in our city.
“However, the values we held dear yesterday we hold dear today. They are the values of freedom, democracy and harmony.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims of this vicious, horrendous attack, their families and friends.
“I want to say to the victim’s families and friends, everyone in NSW stands beside you. Today, tomorrow, forever.
“I pay tribute to the men and women of the NSW Police Force who have saved many lives over the past day and have risked their lives in doing so.
“I also want to pay tribute to all other emergency service workers and authorities who provided vital assistance.
“My thoughts remain with those hostages who have been freed. Every care they need at this traumatic time will be made available to them.
“We are a peaceful, harmonious society that is the envy of the world. How we react in coming days will further show who we are.
“I say to everyone today: We must come together like never before. We are stronger together. We will get through this together.”
  5:17 pm by Rebecca Thurlow Edit Add a Comment  Prime Minister Tony Abbott tells media in Canberra that Australia has had a brush with terrorism but the public should be reassured by the response from law-enforcement agencies.
“Tragically, there are people in our community that are ready to engage in politically motivated violence. The events in Martin Place also show that we are ready to deal with these people professionally and with the full force of law,” Mr. Abbott says.
He thanks the New South Wales police and other agencies involved for their professionalism and courage.Advertisement
“Australians should be reassured by the way our law enforcement and security agencies responded to this brush with terrorism,” he says.
Mr. Abbott says state and commonwealth agencies are investigating the events of the Sydney siege.
“Understandably there is a lot of speculation, but it will take time to clarify exactly what happened in Martin Place and why,” he says.
The perpetrator was well known to state and commonwealth authorities, and had a long history of violent crime, infatuation with extremism, and mental instability, Mr. Abbott says.
“We know that he sent offensive letters to the families of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan and was found guilty of offences related to this. We also know that he posted graphic extremist material online,” Mr. Abbott says. “As the siege unfolded yesterday, he sought to cloak his action with the symbolism of the ISIL death cult.”
Mr. Abbott extends his sympathy on behalf of all Australians to the families of the two hostages who died overnight. “These event do demonstrate that even a country as free, as open, as generous and as safe as ours is vulnerable to acts of politically motivated violence but they also remind us that Australia and Australians are resilient and we are ready to respond.”
He says there are plainly things to be learned: “We will examine this incident to determine what lessons can be learned.”
Mr. Abbott plans to go to Sydney later today to personally thank New South Wales police officers and others involved in the incident. 
  5:32 pm Edit Add a Comment  Statement from Prime Minister Tony Abbott regarding the Australian flag:
FLAGS AT HALF-MAST TODAY
Early this morning, the Martin Place siege ended with the death of the lone gunman and tragically, the loss of two hostages – innocent Australians caught up in the horror of yesterday’s events in Sydney.Advertisement
I have instructed that the Australian National Flag be flown at half-mast today at all Commonwealth Government buildings as a mark of respect and mourning for the innocent victims involved in the Martin Place siege.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the two deceased hostages, the wounded, and the other hostages.
  6:08 pm Edit Add a Comment  *Sydney Siege Victim Named as 38-Year-Old Katrina Dawson*Mother-of-Three Dawson Was Barrister at 8 Selborne Chambers*NSW Bar Association Said 2 Other Members Held as Hostages in Siege
  6:32 pm by Lucy Craymer Edit Add a Comment  Sydney Siege Victim Named as 38-Year-Old Katrina Dawson
Mother-of-three Katrina Dawson, 38, has been confirmed dead following the siege in Sydney.
Jane Needham, president of the New South Wales Bar Association, said in a statement Tuesday that Ms. Dawson had passed away in the early hours of this morning.Advertisement
“Katrina was one of our best and brightest barristers who will be greatly missed by her colleagues and friends at the NSW Bar. She was a devoted mother of three children, and a valued member…of our bar community,” said Ms. Needham.
Ms. Dawson, together with two other members of the NSW Bar, were held as hostages during the incident at the Lindt Café, said Ms. Needham.
Ms. Dawson was a barrister with Eight Selborne Chambers based in Phillip Street in Sydney.
According to the law firm’s website, Ms. Dawson was a lawyer specializing in a number of areas including bankruptcy, commercial and property law.
  6:57 pm by Rhiannon Hoyle Edit Add a Comment  Memuna Mansaray said she was scared to come into the city Tuesday, following the deadly end to the siege.
“It is pretty terrifying, especially working so close,” said the 20-year-old, who was passing through Martin Place to a nearby cafe where she works. “We were told not to come in yesterday and, I have to admit, I was a bit wary about coming back in today. I have never seen anything like this before.”
Advertisement   7:02 pm by Rhiannon Hoyle Edit Add a Comment  Flowers were laid in the pedestrian street near the site of the Lindt Chocolate cafe, as well as some soft toys and candles. Many people who stopped to look at the makeshift memorial were in tears.
“I am completely shaken up,” said 19-year-old student Catherine Hines. “It’s just unbelievable.” 
Among those leaving tributes was the Governor-General Peter Cosgrove. Earlier Tuesday, New South Wales Premier Mike Baird walked grim-faced through Martin Place, the heart of the city’s business district.Advertisement
 
  7:28 pm Edit Add a Comment  Flowers are laid in Sydney’s Martin Place after two hostages killed in siege. pic.twitter.com/ErYYlMXjUB
— Rhiannon Hoyle (@RhiannonHoyle) December 16, 2014
Advertisement
  7:28 pm Edit Add a Comment  Key arterial roads through Sydney CBD remain cordoned off Tuesday. #sydneysiege pic.twitter.com/y4VWthFSe0
— Rhiannon Hoyle (@RhiannonHoyle) December 16, 2014
Advertisement
  7:30 pm Edit Add a Comment  NSW Premier Mike Baird visits Martin Place, heart of the city’s business district where flowers laid for hostages. pic.twitter.com/Fs6zm4h63S
— Rhiannon Hoyle (@RhiannonHoyle) December 16, 2014
Advertisement
  7:31 pm Edit Add a Comment  Flag atop Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s Martin Place office flies at half mast. #sydneysiege pic.twitter.com/pdPXdJS452
— Rhiannon Hoyle (@RhiannonHoyle) December 16, 2014
Advertisement
  7:40 pm Edit Add a Comment  Readers, that concludes our live blog from Sydney for now. The siege that started on Monday morning ended in tragedy during the small hours as two hostages were killed, along with their captor, when police stormed the Lindt Chocolate Café in Martin Place. Fifteen hostages escaped, some with injuries. Questions may now turn to authorities as to how Man Haron Monis, who had a long criminal history and was regarded as a loose cannon by Sydney’s Muslim community, was able to pull off the attack.
 




Australiahostagesiegesydney 



previousOil Spill in Israel Paints Streaks Across the Desert 

next#IllRideWithYou: Australians Show Solidarity With Muslims Amid the Sydney Siege 



Dispatch HOME PAGE 


 Add a Comment  Error message        Name   We welcome thoughtful comments from readers. Please comply with our guidelines. Our blogs do not require the use of your real name.           Comment         Comments (5 of 41) View all Comments »       7:11 pm December 17, 2014  Kati, Coogee Beach wrote:              Incredible that some people in the US would use this tragic news to try and convince others we should carry guns.
Over 30 of you are murdered by your guns every day.
Clearly you've watched too many Rambo films.
         7:59 pm December 16, 2014  - wrote:              The Iraq War disaster was a huge mistake.
         7:26 pm December 16, 2014  Atlanta Olympis 1996 wrote:              The American terrorist who's bomb blew up the Olympic Park during the 1996 Games was not a Muslim. 
The deranged Boston businessmen who funded the IRA terrorists in Ireland for over 20 years where not Muslims.
         1:17 am December 16, 2014  Martin Alexander GLENN wrote:              Lax, medium, or strict gun laws wouldn't have made one bit of difference, this horror trip, nightmare, and hell, would have still occurred; always has, and always will. This is called CRIME. War. Brutality. Sadism. Illness. Extremism. Etc.
Countries with comparatively strict gun laws, and very low crime rates, have had some of the worst massacres (as these bleak, grim, terrifying examples illustrate: July 22nd, 2011, Utoya and Oslo, Norway, shooting spree, 77 left dead, most under 18 // March 11th, 2009, Winnenden, Germany, school shooting, 16 dead // April 26th, 2002, Erfurt, Germany, school shooting, 17 dead [compare: April 20th, 1999, Columbine, USA, “only” 15 total deaths - incl. two perpetrators] // March 13th, 1996, Dunblane, Scotland, Primary School shooting, 18 dead, most were 5 year olds  // June 11th, 1964, Cologne, Germany, school massacre, using a self-made flamethrower and a spear, of same make, 10 burned or were stabbed to death // June 20th, 1913[!], Bremen, Germany, Catholic Girls’ School shooting, between 6 and 10 revolvers used, 5 dead girls, 7-8 years old), so, if this is your flawed measure of things, GUN LAWS, concerning, in connection with, such sad subject matter, well, it's more than flawed, it's FALSE, you're WRONG.
Criminals, in all of human history (notice, HUMANS, beings, not "animals", "monsters" or "beasts"...), have always found ways and means to legally or illegally get a hold of, obtain weapons, of all sorts; so please, let's stop this misleading, sidetracking discussion, once and for all, for good.
What happened here (and, again, always will, again and again, for as long as the human race has its place), is, that some members of mankind, society, people - not animals!, >>
. . . who ARE of low, lack! intelligence, dumb, yes, just plain stupid, and/or lack a modern, ethical, educational background, or other positive and helpful surroundings, support, be it in the past, present, or both (and thus, NOT capable of calm, rational thinking, good judgement, unable to reason, to form sensible OPINIONS and make plausible, justified and qualified decisions), in combination with religious OVERKILL, or cults, sects, or profound personal problems; resulting in extreme mindsets, thought processes gone haywire, a dysfunctional, malfunctioning personality = ill, sick or injured (like a broken bone, cramping intestine, is the brain just another ORGAN, a gray fatty mass), be it also triggered, or amplified, by heredity (or, "just" by freak of nature), ones family, personal experience, environment, culture, customs, and such . . .
(thus, they) >>have chosen to "vent" their ill-fated "anger" (and, more or less often, their BOREDOM — another phenomenon, caused by, a result, part of, STUPIDITY; not knowing what to do with oneself, no imagination or creativity, a permanent lack of a pleasant, peaceful pursuit, occupation, activity —, fueled by a good dose of sadism, in combination with the lack of empathy), by internationally stirring up dust, even changing many countries' national "game plans", holding law-abiding, innocent citizens hostage, terrorizing terrified victims.
What to do?!
I don't know.
Only God does.
And he’s “just” watching…
You and me, us and them.
         12:26 am December 16, 2014  Just a thought wrote:              Not all Muslims are terrorist but all terrorist are Muslims .
     






previousOil Spill in Israel Paints Streaks Across the Desert 

next#IllRideWithYou: Australians Show Solidarity With Muslims Amid the Sydney Siege 



  

Search Dispatch1







About Dispatch

RSS



Dispatch provides real-time updates and new takes on important stories in the news, straight from The Wall Street Journal’s newsroom.



Dispatch on Twitter


 Dispatch on Facebook




  









WSJ Web Slice
CONTENT
LINKS TO ACTUAL PAGE CONTAINING WEB SLICE FUNCTIONALITY.

15





Wall Street Journal
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
FourSquare
Google+
YouTube
Podcasts
RSS Feed
AppStore


Subscribe
/Login 


Back to Top«




Customer Service

Customer Center
New! Live Help

Contact Us
WSJ Weekend
Contact Directory
Corrections



Policy

Privacy Policy
 Cookie Policy
Data Policy
Copyright Policy
Subscriber Agreement& Terms of Use
Your Ad Choices



Advertise

Advertise
Place a Classified Ad
Sell Your Home
Sell Your Business
Commercial Real Estate Ads
Recruitment & Career Ads
Franchising
Advertise Locally



Tools & Features

Apps
Emails & Alerts

Graphics
Columns
Topics
Guides
Portfolio
Old Portfolio



More

Why Subscribe
Register for Free
Reprints

Content Partnerships
Conferences

Price & Volume
Keyword & Symbol
News Archive
Jobs at WSJ







Copyright ©2014 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
















close

Email This







								Recipient's Email Address (Separate multiple address with commas)






								Your Email Address
							




								Message (Optional)






								Send me a copy
							






or Cancel












close

Thank You
Your email has been sent.









close

Error.
An error has occured and your email has not been sent. 
			  	Please try again.
			  	





• Invalid email address.
• You can't enter more than 20 emails.
• Seperate multiple addresses with Commas.
• Must enter an email address.
• You must enter the verification code below to send.
• Invalid entry: Please type the verification code again.



