TERROR ATTACK? Hostages taken in SYDNEY cafe, Islamic flag seen in window

A group of people has been taken hostage in a cafe in Sydney’s Martin Place and forced to hold a black flag with Arabic writing against the window, Australian television networks reported.

About half a dozen armed officers wearing helmets and body armor were stationed on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Martin Place, about 20 meters from the Lindt cafe entrance. Pedestrians were blocked from the CBD square, which houses offices for Macquarie Group, the central bank and Westpac Banking Corp.

Channel Seven showed images of people inside the cafe with their arms up pressed against the window and holding a black flag with white lettering. New South Wales police confirmed an operation was underway in Martin Place, and declined to provide further details. Sky News said the Sydney Opera House was evacuated after a suspicious package was found.

Australia raised its terrorism alert to the highest level in a decade in September, citing the threat posed by supporters of Islamic State, and days later police carried out their largest anti-terrorism raid, foiling an alleged beheading plot. The nation’s Senate passed a bill in October aimed at stopping citizens fighting for extremists in Iraq and Syria.

Photographer: Don Arnold/Getty Images

Armed police patrol the vicinity at Lindt Cafe, Martin Place in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 15, 2014.

A phone message left out of hours at the Zurich-based media office for Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprungli AG wasn’t immediately returned.

Sydney Airspace

Airspace over central Sydney wasn’t closed and the airport is operating as normal, a spokeswoman for Air Services Australia said by telephone.

An 18-year-old man was shot and killed on Sept. 23 after wounding two counter-terrorism officers with a knife. He stabbed the officers in an unprovoked attack outside a police station, where he was due to be interviewed by police after after waving an Islamic State flag inside a shopping center.

The number of Australians identifying themselves as Muslim rose from 281,600 in 2001 to 476,300 by 2011 -- about 2.2 percent of the population.

“This looks like it’s intended to get as much publicity as possible,” said Clive Williams, a former Australian military intelligence office and now a visiting professor at the Australian National University’s College of Law. “The problem is we’ve ended up with a lot of frustrated people in Australia.” - http://www.bloomberg.com