RICHARD FERNANDEZ IS POSTING UPDATES ON THE Sydney Cafe Siege.

As most readers may know by now, a gunman or gunmen has taken about dozen hostages (or more, accounts differ) prisoner in a cafe in Martin Place, which is the ceremonial heart of Sydney. It’s the Cenotaph war memorial and but a stone’s throw from the US Embassy. The US embassy has warned citizens in country to be aware of their surroundings, in sense of being on guard against possible assailants.

The scene of the incident is an upscale cafe, which now has a black “shahada” flag draped across it, saying “there is no God but Allah”. There are reports that the police have rounded up a number of the suspect’s associates in Auburn, which is a suburb heavily populated by Muslims.

Much more at the link.