Black flag with Arabic text held against window where hostages are being held. Martin Place in lockdown. You can watch it here live.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/abcnews24/
11:15 – Opera House has been evacuated.
Hostage takers want to talk to the Prime Minister. Have said they have devices all over the Sydney CBD.
11:30 – Say there is only one gunman holding the hostages.
12:15 –
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has offered NSW federal support to deal with the siege in Sydney’s CBD.
Mr Abbott on Monday met with the national security committee of cabinet as the siege unfolded around 10am.
“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,” he said.
Up to a dozen hostages are believed to being held by gunmen inside the Lindt cafe in Sydney’s Martin Place with an Islamist flag pressed up against one of its windows.
Mr Baird said he had spoken to NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and had full confidence in the efforts being made to resolve the situation.
“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,” he said in a statement.
12:28 – Police have made an arrest near the siege location in Martin Place – a handgun has been seized.
12:39 – Waiting for the Prime Minister to speak. The shot is of a Christmas tree behind the lectern where the PM will speak. Most appropriate.
12:57 – PM makes brief statement describing the situation as an “incident”. Did not discuss Islam, either to lay blame or to caution the rest of us not to lay blame and leap to conclusions. Says “we do not know the motivation of the perpetrator”. Meanwhile the Mid-Year Economic Statement is being released but there will not be a statement from the Treasurer.
1:56 – Premier and Police Commissioner are emphasising that this is a minor disruption. Just get on in life. Well trained officers are in situ and will bring this to an end. Motivation unknown. “Moved to a footing that is consistent with a terrorist event. . . . Not directly in contact with the armed offender.”
2:14 – The Treasurer is giving his Mid-Year Economic Review press conference. Good. The PM said everyone should go about their business and not be put off by a minor terrorist incident. Good advice. I suspect the government’s reaction will be very slow and deliberate but also very thorough.
4:50 – Couldn’t get anything done since this has preoccupied my thoughts. Therefore went out to get my editing done, and could think of no better place to go than to the local Max Brenner, which is the place boycotted by the usual deranged fringe groups of the BDS. Very pleasant, and thought about the good advice of the Prime Minister, to just go about our business without being deterred from such loony one-man distractions, however potentially lethal his actions may be. I also thought that not declaring the siege as politically driven was very astute. There will be lessons learned, but you, mate, are just a crazy nutter representative of nothing other than your own insanity. That is now, but the politics will follow. And our Prime Minister is not someone you would want to cross. As for the siege itself, the only development has been the escape of three chaps who had been in the cafe who have now been followed by two women, one who worked in the cafe.
5:11 – Police negotiators are talking to the hostage taker. They are going to wear him down.
5:45 – “#SydneySiege release says “we are operating according to Counter Terrorism protocol.” The police are treating this as a terrorist operation. How well selected the target was makes me sure that this was not a one-man operation.
6:15 –
Law of Markets 