LIVE FEED: Australian cafe held up by someone with Islamic flag

[Aractus]

I have been watching the coverage for this terrorist attack for some time now and I can tell everyone a few things. First this is what one of the hostages had to say:



Second, police did not commence communications with the madman before the five hostages were "released". He released them with a message for the police and media, and the message was that he wanted: a. an ISIL flag and b. to talk to Tony Abbott. It appears so far that's the only reason why they were released. The same message had already been relayed to the media, and the hostages reportedly asked at least one radio presenter to put them live on air as instructed by the terrorist.

Earlier in the day he had his hostages hold up an Islamic flag in the window for hours.

I have had a strong feeling from the start that this will end in bloodshed. Hopefully police will be in a position to storm the building and take out the madman before he has a chance to execute his hostages. Even though police have said they are in negotiations with the terrorist, I don't believe they have had any direct communication with him and I believe that their first communication from him came from the five released hostages. He released at least three staff workers, but I think he released all the staff that was there as a tactical decision to get the people who are most familiar with the cafe out so that he can be in greater control. I can't think of any other reason why you would release workers in particular, and I think it sends a clear message that he is not backing down from his pursuit.

He is releasing hostages because he does not intend a mass execution and is well aware that he can make his bloodthirsty point by killing just one person. It also makes it easier to control a smaller number of people. That is why, in my view, he is making these demands - he wants the politicians to say that it is an ISIL attack before he brutally carries out an execution or executions - he knows that he has all day to get what he wants and that if he fails he can still kill the hostages he wants to kill.

As to whether he is actually associated with ISIL or whether he's a sympathiser is not known, and why he didn't bring an ISIL flag also isn't clear, perhaps in his haste this morning he forgot it or he brought the wrong flag with him.

I could be proven wrong in a couple of hours and I hope I am, but we'll have to wait and see.

We do actually have a world class media system I think the restraint they've shown goes a long way. They've received at least one video of the hostages making demands on behalf of the terrorist which they haven't aired, and the channel seven staff were allowed back in their building where they have a clear view of the cafe, and have not tried to provide video of it. They've also chosen not to name the terrorist even though he has now been identified both by police and the media, and he is known to police.

The police I'm a little less impressed with, especially earlier today when the commissioner admitted he didn't know how many hostages there were when asked why the number of hostages is undisclosed.

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Okay, again with his more recent media address I'm not impressed at all. The commissioner's language certainly made it sound as if they have not been able to open a direct line of communication with the terrorist to a negotiator, it seems for the moment that they're calling his bluff and waiting him out until he releases another hostage. As I said I could be wrong, it may be a ploy and perhaps they really are negotiating.