HOSTAGES in CBD
 

Watching the news in Sydney. OH's office is in lockdown. Hope that no one else is affected.:(

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Just got phone call off a relative from the UK as we were supposed to be in Sydney, but not going until tomorrow now. Just got the news on now, we didn't know anything about it until we got the phone call. Hope everyone in Sydney on BE is safe. :fingerscrossed:

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There's another thread in the Australia forum - hope your partner gets home safe soon Caroline.

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As the emergency officer, and someone who has gone through all the IRA stuff in London, OH is spending a lot of time calming down his colleagues who are stressed out.

He says he is shielded by his sheer awesomeness!


Update: he has just said they are all being sent home by car.

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Keep us updated C. Just watching it now.

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This is what terrorism is- making everyone stressed and afraid, even if they are not actually held hostage. It is a marketing strategy to say their message is "fear us:we are powerful and will not show mercy. Your only chance to escape is to convert." ISIS is on a jihad and has declared war on the western world, and all non muslims.

I'm more annoyed that they have taken over the chocolate shop and it will be out of action for some time!!


(Not seriously though!)

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It was a matter of time, I just hope Tony Abott doesn't mess about. He needs to be sending a clear message out ASAP.



Lol@ you. What are you like girl! :sneaky:

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Actually it's not.

The supposed aim is to push governments into particular courses of action that they wouldn't otherwise take, on the threat of ..... terror.

The usual stated aims are something like "leave ISIS alone to be barbaric scum in their 'caliphate'". However that very rarely works, such that I doubt even the scum would believe it.

Today it's usually more goading the government into action, by bombing more civilians, are infringing more freedoms, such that some idiots think "those ISIS lot must have something, since this government action is cruel and repressive (my enemies friend is my friend)". Thus gaining recruits, money, support.

In either circumstance, the best reaction is "tsk, tsk". Not paying much attention robs it of the power to do either - providing you don't have some maniac/idiot politician using it as a pretext to start bombing a totally different country (cough, cough, cheney).

Of course, in private you cut the throats of the leaders of scummy terrorist organisation - so the message is sent quietly but directly - it hurts.

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OH is safely home now.:thumbup:

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So he's the reason the IRA called a ceasefire eh;)

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Does anyone have a good live source to keep upto date with this?

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:thumbsup:

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So they are over the road from the RBA - they picked the wrong target, they should be holding the Bankers hostage not ordinary folk doing Xmas shopping.

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Saw it breaking on news at gym this morning, my immediate thoughts were New Years Eve Sydney only 2 weeks away....

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Indeed, the fireworks are going to look a little tame.

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It would certainly make more sense. Nothing like the anger deserved has been shown towards the thumb fiddling banksters and the results unleashed onto the community.

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RIP the innocent victims of that deranged person.

Sad that it could not be resolved without bloodshed.

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True - feeling sad for those affected.

How is it, us as migrants face deportation if we do something wrong, refugees don't obviously?

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A bit unfair. The perp was most likely an Australian citizen. A migrant as such would be at no greater disadvantage than a refugee obviously if also a citizen. Hope you are not attempting to turn the thread into a reffo bashing free for all.

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Well, now it's no longer an anti-muslim fest it only makes sense to turn it into an anti refugee feest.

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The guy was a lone nut, out on bail for 40 sexual assault offences and an accessory to murder charge.

A self-proclaimed Iranian cleric with radical views. He originally claimed to have accomplices with bombs around the city, but the number of bombs kept changing (he first claimed two, then three, then four) which led me to believe it was just a bluff (turns out I was right).

He was originally Shia (as most Iranian Muslims are) but converted to Sunni quite recently. This explains his decision to support IS, which is anti-Shia.

He committed an act of terrorism, but he was not a member of any terrorist group; just a desperate criminal hoping to make a name for himself with a big event.

Looks like this was the motivation: 'Monis had his last appeal rejected by the High Court last week.' Must have decided he had nothing left to lose.

Very good work by the police, particularly considering the volatility of the situation.

He was a former refugee with Australian citizenship.

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I think we need to remove the motive angle from this incident as it was just one mad man. I don't agree with calling this a terrorism act as the PM has pretty much called it. Terrorists have a message, this guy had a jail term coming up he wanted to avoid. There is a big difference. A terrorist act creates a lasting fear after the incident. We have no need to be afraid of this guys followers as we have no reason to believe he has any.

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I agree. It was a criminal act committed by a man with serious apparent mental health issues. Why wasn't he provided with the help required which may well have required confinement if indeed the reported incidences of some sixty sexual assaults are indeed the case?

I am jumping the gun though and know full well not to rely on so called media facts.

The main thing was the perp was something of a lost soul with little, if any support from within his community.

I suspect the treatment dished out to him during his recent prison stay may have confirmed in his mind there was no going back to that.

I actually suspected after he had made a point he would have been more likely turn the gun on himself than to harm the others.

Happily over. Sad for those deceased obviously. The one redeeming feature being it could have been plenty worse with many more body bags being carried out.

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Looking at his alleged past record he should never have been free to walk the streets in the first place. System failure to protect the public.

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Agree 100%, when they listed all his wrongdoings I was like how the hell is this guy on bail?

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He was just an extreme 'mouth',i doubt very much he would have harmed the hostages,he was not yer classic terrorist or the shop would have been blown yesterday in full view of the world.My concern is that the media are saying the shop manager was a 'hero' and went for the gun which went off killing him and giving the security forces a reason to storm the place.If this is indeed true then the guy was an idiot,and is as much responsible for his own murder n that of the other hostage.I honestly believe this situation would have had a peaceful outcome had it not been for the actions of Mr Hero.I sympathise with the families of ALL those killed in this incident, a truely tragic event.

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interesting to ponder on how it all fell apart..
We watched the whole thing at work last night as it unfolded, and it did seem odd that they named the guy and made it sound as if they were settled in for a long siege, and then the next minute flashes and bangs from inside and then police running everywhere. Makes sense if it was caused by the manager being a "have-a-go-hero". As soon as the shooting started I guess the police had little choice but to go in?
The media were shockingly sensational about the whole thing as it developed overnight, doesn't surprise me in the least that they are hailing the guy as a hero. From his point of view I guess he wouldn't be viewing it as "lets sit and wait" but more of wanting to get out asap. I guess thats where training in dealing with situations like that pays off - would you have been more inclined to sit and wait?

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Most certainly,my response is not a knee jerk one but a measured one,people need to take their feelings and sympathy out of the situation and look at the 'facts' as we know them at this point,a terrible end indeed,but was it really necessary,i don't think so.

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My thoughts exactly, I think a peaceful outcome was possible. I'm sure it won't be a popular opinion though.

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Poor law on bail. Fixes to bail were on its way but too late in this instance. Current laws on bail were designed to lessen the burden on jails.

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I honestly thought that it would go on 2-3 days maybe, then come to a peaceful conclusion. That number of casualties is a horribly high percentage to my mind (counting dead & injured).
I guess when it comes down to it though if the whole situation is alien and unexpected, one tends to follow one's instincts. I like to think that if I was in a situation like that I would remember conversations like this - but then I don't know if my emotions would just over-rule my common sense.

No, you're probably right. The public love to think of someone being a "hero" like that, don't they.

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General concensus at work was that the police sniper should have taken the shot earlier in the day on the basis of tv pictures shown (taken across from the café at ground-level), saying they had plenty of opportunity. I tried to explain that what we saw on tv would not have been what a sniper would have seen, but got ignored. and making the shot would have possibly been difficult in the circumstances and that first negotiation is the first thing they try.

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Apparently (so I heard from a snipping expert) the glass would have caused a refraction and lining the shot up accurately was near impossible.

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You spoke to a Rabbi ???


PS,if it was normal glass then the shot could have been taken with the right round,however someone told me it was an old bank building n the glass was 'toughened',that would have made it very difficult,however not sure how true that is.

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All this mention of islamist gun man when his faith was largely irrelevant. Even that pillar of balance the BBC. They seem to want to stir the mob up, disgraceful journalism pretty much across the board.

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Jaysus a non-biased view from an english man:huh::blink::ohmy::goodpost:

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Alright don't go on about it haha. To be honest being over here for afew months has opened my eyes a bit. I can feel a wave of tolerance sweeping me away, though it might be Carlsberg.

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You'll be reading Dalai Lama books next;)

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Mohel. A http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moheldoes the snipping.