The location of crisis: The Lindt Chocolate Shop..
At this point, some word has escaped the cafe.. The hostage taker, we have learned, is of Middle Eastern background and has apparently asking for an ISIS flag in exchange for a hostage.. Even more, the man is forcing hostages to stand with their faces and bodies pressed against a glass window of the cafe for several hours at a time.
As nightfall descends on Australia, the gunman and hostages are not in the dark--a hostage reportedly turned off the lights. No doubt by order of the captor..
The White House is updating President Obama on the situation and the United States is offering any help to Australia that may be afforded as this crisis continues into the dark of night..
At this time the situation has been ongoing for 12 hours .. While some 'in the know' do in fact know, very little has been disclosed to the masses of people across the planet waiting for something to occur to end this nightmare for those inside..
Though the Sydney siege has been ongoing for several hours, Americans waking up from a day of typical Sunday football and recreation are once again witnessing how the world can crash down during Monday morning headline runs in the West..
The crisis will develop and end. The world prays in a peaceful manner. But we are fully aware that the gates of hell are open wide, so how this finishes may only be known by the ancient demons roaming our reality.. We do know this, however: Several questions will need to be answered. Some soon, some others not.. First off, if police are fully aware of the hostage taker, why no action against him prior? Was he being monitored? Were his whereabouts known? And what is his past history ..? Criminal history.. While no one has officially said his name on world news outlets yet, some wires have reported the possibility of who it is, including RUSSIA TODAY.. They report,
Sheik Man Haron Monis, an Islamic ‘spiritual healer’ who is facing charges of sexual assault and being an accessory to murder, has been identified as the man who has taken civilians hostage in a Sydney café, according to local media citing police sources.
"There's no operational reason for that name to be held back by us now," an anonymous police source told Reuters.
The Iranian-born 50-year-old fled to Australia in 1996, but came to prominence after 2007, when he began sending “hate mail” to families of soldiers, who died while fighting in Iraq.
If the named man is the suspect in this situation, then he comes with a record of 'peace' but a reality of problems. He made news back in April of this year as well..
RT goes on,
In December last year, Monis was accused of helping his current partner, Amirah Droudis, to murder his ex-wife, Noleen Hayson Pal. The woman had been stabbed several times and set alight in a Sydney apartment in April 2013
Expect to get the full rap-sheet and expose on his past soon from outlets around the world.
Also: the media glare has a spotlight on Syndey--even a news station exists right across the street from Lindt.. And the hostage taker is using it to his delight, knowing that social media will report his every move and take cues from his demands.. And according to what we know, the gunman has been asking hostages to publicize his demands by trying to force them into speaking with broadcasters and radio show hosts..
The social media world is following, as would be obvious. Since 9:45 am in Sydney, a campaign on social media has emerged quickly called "illridewithyou".. The notion is that people in the city will peacefully ride with Muslims on transportation as a show of moral support and tolerance..
This is a crisis with about as many different tentacles as you can imagine.
They are playing out on live TV. They are playing out online.. They are playing out before the world's eyes..
And even more, if this gunman has an affiliation, no matter how loose it could be, with ISIS, the game gets more intense..
Every year, it seems we have a nightmare before Christmas. This year's drama is taking place now in Australia.
One of the hostages who escaped after seven hours of was Elly Chen. Her Facebook page became the virtual billboard for fear and expressions of prayer. Now the image of her escapes has became an iconic piece of journalism. The shot was taken by Jason Reed of Reuters. And it is being seen around the world.
[caption id="attachment_5064" align="aligncenter" width="616" class=" "]
Elly Chen[/caption]