Sydney : 40 Hostage Crisis *NOW*

[JAYMEZ]

Didn't see anything on this yet..

Sydney cafe under siege, what we know so far...
-We are almost three hours into the siege and there is a lot of conflicting reports and speculation. Here is a brief rundown of what we actually do know:
Customers and staff at Lindt Cafe in Martin Place, Sydney, were taken hostage about 9.45am. There are varying reports on the number of hostages but four have been sighted in camera footage. They were made to stand up against the windows with their hands raised.
-There is at least one gunman.
-A black flag with white writing was put in the window of the cafe. It is not an Islamic State flag. The flag appears to bear the Shahada, an Islamic creed which reads: “There is no god but the God, Muhammad is the messenger of God.” It’s can be a benign symbol and appears across the Islamic world, including on the Saudi Arabian flag. But it has also been embraced by jihadi groups such as Jabhat Al-Nusra, an Al-Qaeda affiliate currently fighting in Syria.
-The prime minister, Tony Abbott, confirmed the national security committee of cabinet has convened for briefings.
Buildings in the area have been evacuated, as has the Sydney Opera House though it has not been confirmed why the Opera House has been evacuated.
The prime minister will address media soon.

Following on Reddit right now.

http://www.reddit.com/live/u2pwph99rvy6

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B43ETTkCcAA2osV.jpg


http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/7/9/a/y/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.1279s0.png/1418601847601.jpg

[01RedDX]

.

[max_boost]

Shit WTF! :drama: :banghead:

[AllGoNoShow]

https://twitter.com/nswpolice

[eblend]

The brought it on themselves really..."Merry Christmas" under the Lindt logo...don't they know freedom of expression is dead.

[ZenOps]

Terrorists, the real thing.

Made the hostages display their flag? Damn, that is a horrible sign. This is probably going to end badly.

[reijo]

Live radio coverage here:

http://www.2gb.com/listen-live

I hope they take him out without other loss of life. I have no pity for this sort of thing ... at all.

R

[Manhattan]

Shit like this won't ever end if news outlets keep broadcasting this stuff 24/7. It's like the terrorist broadcast system. When someone runs on the field during a FIFA game they cut the feed to another camera and the viewers don't know anything happened so this behavior isn't encouraged. :banghead:

[JAYMEZ]

Cant believe its still going on

[JAYMEZ]

The hostages are twittering now that two bombs are in the building

[broken_legs]

Imagine if only one or possibly 2 of those 40 coffee house patrons were permitted, trained, and legal law abiding concealed weapon carriers.

This wouldnt even be news.

Just saw on the news a few people escaped or were released. Hope this ends soon with innocents AND the terrorists alive so they can question these fucking morons and then put 'em behind bars with Chopper.

[01RedDX]

.

[Tik-Tok]

^^^

Phhhht, no no no, ignore all those thousands of lives strict gun control saved, and concentrate only on the few dozen in this specific instance, guns could purely hypothetically save.

I mean everyone knows that a couple of armed cowboy heroes always save the day in hostage situations.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[rage2]

The hostage taker has quite the history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Haron

Accessory to Murder of his ex-wife, 50 sexual assault charges. Looks like he's just using religion as an excuse, he lost some court case today.

[01RedDX]

.

[Toma]

Instead of concealed carry civilians that would make things worse... What about mandatory military service, like Switzerland has. Something like 4 to 6 months. They did a referendum a few years ago and over 70% of the population voted in favour of keeping conscription.

Neutrality makes conscription fair IMO, I would have no problem going after high school or something provided I lived in a purely defensive or neutral country, similar to Switzerland.

I would rather have a strictly trained population, rather than allowng random hicks to have guns.

Envisioning my family in a hostage situation, strangely my biggest fear is not being with them, but I would feel better if there were military trained men and women in there, armed or not.

[Kloubek]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
God I hate religion

I see what you did there...

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by 01RedDX


Fucking hilarious.

Wrote letters to family of deceased soldier, comparing dead soldier to a pig and to a dirty animal. Set ex-wife on fire. Kicked out of Iran for being too liberal.

What a piece of work this guy is - this is the thank you he gives to the country that took him in. Hope they re-think whom they'll be letting in there from now on.

There's even more.

I wonder why this guy wasn't in prison.

[Manhattan]

Originally posted by Seth1968


There's even more.

I wonder why this guy wasn't in prison.

Liberal legal systems.

[[GaGe]]

sLXSx3xTYog

[Xtrema]

It's over. Gunman dead along with 2 hostages.

[Robin Goodfellow]

Originally posted by 01RedDX


Wrote letters to family of deceased soldier, comparing dead soldier to a pig and to a dirty animal. Set ex-wife on fire. Kicked out of Iran for being too liberal.


I saw what you tried to do there.

He wasn't kicked out for being too liberal, he was kicked out for his liberal interpretation of the Koran - A flawed interpretation which embraced the offenses you inventory above.

[My_name_is_Rob]

Originally posted by Toma
What about mandatory military service, like Switzerland has. Something like 4 to 6 months. They did a referendum a few years ago and over 70% of the population voted in favour of keeping conscription.

Neutrality makes conscription fair IMO, I would have no problem going after high school or something provided I lived in a purely defensive or neutral country, similar to Switzerland.



Actually its closer to a minimum of 2 years total served. The 4 - 6 month phase is just basic boot camp.

And they are in the process of phasing it out. While they can't cut it completely due to the majority vote, they are pretty lenient on who is required to serve and who isn't.

[Toma]

Its not 2 years, its under 6 months form what I read, with yearly refreshers till age 30 I think.

I like it.

[My_name_is_Rob]

Originally posted by Toma
Its not 2 years, its under 6 months, with yearly refreshers till age 30 I think.

That is one of the options, or you can do it all at once and be done with it.

[FraserB]

Who in their right mind would take a pay cut to play army for a few month?

[My_name_is_Rob]

Originally posted by FraserB
Who in their right mind would take a pay cut to play army for a few month?

Any male over 18 who doesn't want to pay the non-conscription tax. Its not really about playing army, its mostly about doing public services, and learning respect.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by My_name_is_Rob


That is one of the options, or you can do it all at once and be done with it.

This is how it was explained to me by someone who went through it (20 years ago though, dunno if things have changed)

I think it's a great idea too, on a few different levels.

[Toma]

Originally posted by FraserB
Who in their right mind would take a pay cut to play army for a few month?

When it is part of an accepted duty and pride, 6 months after high school, no one is losing much of a wage yet.

But as I said, would never work, or be desirable in countries like Canada that go out looking for trouble.

Stated official neutrality like the Swiss is the only way it could be justified.

[Toma]

So, looks like 300 day maximum fulfills full military obligation if they chose the one shot "Long Service"

Also, there is some sort of compensation.


Boot camp[edit]
Boot camp lasts 18 or 21 weeks. In the first seven weeks recruits receive the "general basic instructions"; after this period, some recruits leave boot camp as they are presented with an opportunity to advance to cadet school.

The second phase of six weeks is devoted to function-specific basic instructions, where recruits learn skills specific to their job. In the third phase, called "instruction in formation", battlegroups and battalions are formed.[13]

Every Swiss soldier used to be issued with a sealed box of ammunition, but following a Swiss Federal Parliament decision to discontinue the practice in 2007, ammunition have been withdrawn starting in early 2008.[14] Conscripts who are unwilling to carry a weapon on moral grounds may apply for weaponless service.[15]

Recruits seeking higher ranks will require further training:

the grade of corporal, assigned exclusively to specialists, requires 5 weeks of rank-specific instructions;[16]
the grade of sergeant requires 14 weeks of rank-specific instructions, 6 weeks of practical training and 8 weeks of practical service;[16]
the grade of sergeant-major requires 14 weeks of rank-specific instructions and 15 weeks of practical service;[16]
the grade of lieutenant requires 30 weeks of rank-specific instructions and 4 weeks of practical training.[16]
The age when military obligations end also varies with rank, ranging from 34 for enlisted men and NCOs to 50 for staff officers. Professional officers retire between 58 and 65.[17]

Long service[edit]
Conscripts choosing long service fulfill their entire military obligations in a continuous 300-day service, after which they are incorporated in the reserve for the following ten years. A maximum of 15% of conscripts of any age class has the possibility to choose this path.[18]