tiaraVillaRuby - Satu operasi polis sedang dijalankan di sebuah kafe di pusat
ban-dar Sydney, di mana sehingga 40 tebusan dipegang oleh penyerang yang tidak
diketahui dan bendera jihad hitam dapat dilihat. Ia datang di tengah2 sokongan
Australia operasi yang diketuai Amerika Syarikat terhadap militan Negara Islam.
Sebagai pengepungan adalah kira2 untuk memasuki 6 jam,
sekurang-kurangnya 3 orang nampaknya melarikan diri dari bangunan itu. Rakaman
LIVE menunjukkan polis bersenjata berkumpul berhampiran pintu kafe itu, tetapi
tidak memasukinya.
Kanan Lindt Australia rasmi berkata 10 kakitangan dan
sehingga 30 pelanggan boleh diadakan di dalam Lindt Chocolate Café di Martin
Place. Terdapat "mungkin 30 pelanggan" pada masa serangan itu, Sky
Perniagaan dipetik Lindt Australia Ketua Eksekutif Steve Loane sebagai berkata.
Tidak ada pengesahan segera jumlah sebenar penyerang.
Kawasan di sekitar kafe telah ditutup oleh polis bersenjata,
dan pihak berkuasa Australia telah dibersihkan ruang udara atas pusat Sydney
untuk memberi laluan kepada helikopter polis.
Laporan media berkata bahawa salah satu tebusan berjaya
mencatatkan tweet, di mana beliau memberi amaran bahawa polis harus
"berhati-hati."
"Satu operasi polis sedang dijalankan di Martin Place,
CBD Sydney. Orang ramai dinasihatkan supaya mengelak dpd kawasan itu,
"New South Wales (NSW) polis menulis tweetnya.
Sementara itu, rakaman TV secara langsung menunjukkan orang
berdiri di dalam kafe dengan tangan mereka diletakan terhadap tingkap.
Sekurang-kurangnya salah seorang penyerang telah ditangkap pada kamera memakai
topi tradisional Islam.
Tebusan memegang bendera hitam dengan inskripsi Arab, yang
menyebabkan kebimbangan yang kejam Negara Islam (IS, yang sebelum ini ISIS/Isil)
militan di belakang serangan.
Laporan di lapangan menunjukkan bahawa wanita muda yang
dijadikan tebusan di kafe yang digunakan sebagai perisai, manakala penyerang
dilihat pacing sekitar bilik.
Berikutan berita bahawa polis telah cuba untuk mewujudkan
hubungan dengan tebusan pengambil-(s), laporan tuntutan mereka muncul di media
tempatan.
Yg menahan menuntut untuk bercakap dengan Perdana Menteri
Tony Abbott hidup di radio, tuan rumah radio Australia 2GB rancangan pagi, Ray
Hadley, berkata. Hadley berkata tebusan di dalam kafe itu menghubunginya,
tetapi beliau enggan menyiarkan perbualan mereka untuk keselamatan orang2
di dalam bangunan.
Laporan lain mendakwa bahawa lelaki bersenjata mempunyai tali
pinggang letupan bunuh diri.
ISLAMIST Militants TAKE Hostages IN Sydney CAFE,
Display Black
Jihadist FLAG . . .
A police operation is underway at a café in central Sydney,
where up to 40 hostages are being held by unknown attackers and a black
jihadist flag can be seen. It comes amid Australia’s backing of the US-led
operation against Islamic State militants.
As the siege was about to enter its sixth hour, at least
three people apparently escaped from the building. Live footage showed heavily
armed police regrouping near the cafe’s door, but not entering it.
A senior Lindt Australia official said that 10 staff and up
to 30 customers could be held inside the Lindt Chocolate Café in Martin Place.
There were “probably 30 customers” at the time of the attack, Sky Business
quoted Lindt Australia Chief Executive Steve Loane as saying. There was no
immediate confirmation of the exact number of assailants.
The area surrounding the cafe has been sealed off by armed
police, and Australian authorities have cleared airspace over central Sydney to
make way for police helicopters.
Media reports said that one of the hostages managed to post a
tweet, in which he warned that police should be “cautious.”
“A police operation is underway in Martin Place, Sydney’s
CBD. People are advised to avoid the area,” New South Wales (NSW) police
tweeted.
Meanwhile, live TV footage showed people standing inside the
café with their hands pressed against the windows. At least one of the
attackers was caught on camera wearing a traditional Islamic cap.
The hostages were forced to hold a black flag with an Arabic
inscription, prompting fears that ruthless Islamic State (IS, formerly
ISIS/ISIL) militants were behind the attack.
Reports on the ground suggest that young women being held
hostage in the cafe are being used as a shield, while an attacker is seen
pacing around the room.
Following news that police were trying to establish contact
with the hostage-taker(s), reports of their demands emerged on local media.
A captor demanded to speak with Prime Minister Tony Abbott
live on the radio, Australian radio host of 2GB morning show, Ray Hadley, said.
Hadley added that hostages inside the cafe contacted him, but he declined
airing their conversation for the safety of those inside the building.
Another report claimed that the gunmen have explosive suicide
belts.
Orang ramai di Sydney CBD sangat-sangat berharap untuk berita
positif pada pengepungan Martin Place (The crowd in the Sydney CBD desperately
hoping for positive news on Martin Place siege) @9NewsSyd
9:52 AM - 15 Dec
2014
Sementara itu, Pesuruhjaya Polis NSW Andrew Scipione berkata
bahawa tidak ada hubungan secara langsung telah dibuat dengan orang yg menahan
(s}.
Berpuluh-puluh polis, termasuk pasukan SWAT, telah dihantar
ke tempat kejadian, & beberapa ratus orang tlh ditangguhkan oleh cordons di
tengah2 pemindahan bangunan berdekatan.
Seorang pekerja kafe yang peralihan adalah kira2 untuk
mula memberitahu RT bahawa apabila dia untuk pergi bekerja, pintu sudah dikunci
& dia melihat banyak tebusan di dalamnya.
"Saya berjalan ke pintu dan kemudian semua orang duduk
dan pintu terkunci. Ada seorang lelaki berjalan-jalan dengan topi dan janggut.
Saya melihat pengurus saya di sana . . . Terdapat ramai orang di sana. Semua
orang di dalam meletakkan senjata mereka terhadap tingkap."
Tambahnya, sebelum polis tiba ke tempat kejadian, orang
menyangka dengan rompakan bersenjata telah berlaku.
Bendera - yang muncul berbeza dari yang biasa digunakan oleh
ISIS - telah dikenal pasti sebagai syahadah, atau pernyataan iman Islam. Yang
mengucapkan 2 kalimah syahadah itu sendiri hanya mengandungi tulisan agama
"Tidak ada Tuhan selain Allah danMuhammad adalah utusan Allah." Ia
tidak ada kaitan secara langsung kepada ekstremisme, walaupun ia telah
digunakan oleh kumpulan jihad selama ini.
Serangan lelaki bersenjata itu, yang berlangsung di daerah
pusat perniagaan di Sydney, paksa bangunan berdekatan di Martin Place -
termasuk Reserve Bank of Australia - pergi Kuncian.
Amerika Syarikat telah dipindahkan konsulat Sydney yang
terletak berhampiran dengan Lindt Cafe, Reuters memetik jurucakap yang sebagai
berkata.
Konsulat mengeluarkan kenyataan kecemasan untuk rakyat Amerika
Syarikat, memberi amaran kepada mereka untuk "mengekalkan tahap
kewaspadaan dan mengambil langkah-langkah yang sewajarnya untuk meningkatkan
keselamatan diri mereka."
Meanwhile, NSW police commissioner Andrew Scipione said that
no direct contact was made with the captor(s}.
Dozens of police, including a SWAT team, were dispatched to
the scene, and a couple hundred people were held back by cordons amid the
evacuation of nearby buildings.
A cafe employee whose shift was about to start told RT that
when he got to work, the doors were already locked and he saw a lot of hostages
inside.
“I walked up to the door and then everyone was sitting down
and the doors were locked. There was one guy walking around with a hat and a
beard. I saw my manager there . . . There were a lot of people in there.
Everyone inside put their arms against the windows.”
He added that before police arrived to the scene, people
thought an armed robbery was taking place.
The flag – which appeared different from the one typically
used by ISIS – was identified as the shahada, or the statement of Islamic
faith. The shahada itself only contains the religious inscription “There is no
god but the God, Muhammad is the messenger of the God.” It is not directly
connected to extremism, although it has been used by jihadist groups over the
years.
The gunmen’s attack, which took place in Sydney’s central
business district, forced nearby buildings in Martin Place – including the
Reserve Bank of Australia – to go on lockdown.
The US has evacuated its Sydney consulate, located close to
the Lindt Cafe, Reuters quoted a spokeswoman as saying.
The consulate released an emergency statement to US citizens, warning
them to "maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to
enhance your personal security.”
Tidak lama selepas berita situasi tebusan muncul, ikon Opera
House di Sydney juga dipindahkan. Langkah itu telah dilaporkan didorong oleh
pakej yang mencurigakan ditemui di dalam bangunan.
Pihak berkuasa tempatan meletakkan penghadang di hadapan
Opera House dan sebuah helikopter polis telah dihantar. Polis rusuhan tiba di
tangga bangunan itu.
Sekitar 200 orang tlh diarahkan utk pergi ke bahagian
barat bangunan, Australia dilaporkan. Saksi mendengar pengawal keselamatan
berkata bahawa "sekiranya latihan" telah berlaku.
Soon after news of the hostage situation emerged, Sydney’s
iconic Opera House was also evacuated. The move was reportedly prompted by a
suspicious package found inside the building.
Local authorities put up barricades in front of the Opera
House and a police helicopter was dispatched. Riot police arrived at the steps of
the building.
Perdana Menteri Australia, Tony Abbott dipanggil keadaan
"mendalam tentang hal ini," sambil menambah bahawa semua yang sedang
dilakukan untuk bertindak balas kepada kejadian itu.
"Ini jelas merupakan kejadian mendalam tentang tetapi
semua warga Australia perlu memberi jaminan bahawa agensi-agensi penguatkuasaan
undang-undang dan keselamatan kami adalah terlatih dan dilengkapi dan bertindak
balas dengan cara yang teliti dan profesional," kata Abbott dalam satu
kenyataan.
"Kita masih belum tahu motivasi pelakunya," Abbott
ditambah pada sidang akhbar yang mendesak. Beliau tidak menolak kemungkinan
bahawa serangan itu boleh menjadi "bermotifkan politik."
Perdana Menteri berkata bahawa Jawatankuasa Keselamatan
Negara Kabinet telah diberi taklimat mengenai keadaan & Ia telah berbicara
kepada NSW Premier Mike Baird, menawarkan segala sokongan Komanwel mungkin dan
bantuan.
Tidak lama sebelum kejadian tebusan, Daily Mail Australia
melaporkan bahawa polis telah mengumumkan satu waran tangkap terhadap seorang
lelaki berusia 25 tahun dari barat laut Sydney, berkaitan dengan suatu
penyiasatan memerangi keganasan utama. Jurucakap polis berkata, NSW pada ketika
ini, kedua-dua insiden tidak muncul untuk disambungkan, menurut media tempatan.
Media spekulasi menghubungkan serangan kepada Negara Islam
telah muncul, seperti Australia telah menyokong anti-ISIS gabungan yang
diketuai Amerika Syarikat di Syria dan Iraq. Kembali pada bulan September,
Canberra menyumbang 600 tentera dan sehingga 10 pesawat tentera untuk kempen.
BACA lebih lanjut: Australia kembali ke Iraq untuk berhadapan dengan IS militan
di atas darat READ MORE:
Australians return to Iraq to confront IS militants on ground
Pada bulan Oktober, Australia melancarkan misi jet pejuang
pertama di Iraq terhadap ISIS. "Pesawat Super Hornet menjalankan penahanan
udara & berham-piran misi sokongan udara ke atas Iraq utara semalaman,"
kata Angkatan Perta-hanan Australia dalam satu kenyataan.
Australia sebelum ini telah meningkatkan tahap keselamatan tinggi kpd, berikutan ancaman serangan oleh militan radikal. Abbott memberi
amaran bahwa pengganas boleh menggunakan komitmen Australia terhadap
perjuangan anti-ISIS sebagai alasan untuk menyasarkan negara dan rakyatnya.
"Sebab mengapa kita disasarkan adalah bukan kerana
apa-apa yang telah kami lakukan, tetapi kerana siapa kita dan bagaimana kita
hidup," kata Perdana Menteri.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott called the situation
“deeply concerning,” adding that everything is being done to respond to the
incident.
“This is obviously a deeply concerning incident but all
Australians should be reassured that our law enforcement and security agencies
are well trained and equipped and are responding in a thorough and professional
manner,” Abbott said in a statement.
“We don’t yet know the motivation of the perpetrator,” Abbott
added at an urgent press conference. He did not rule out the possibility that
the attack could be “politically motivated.”
The prime minister said that the National Security Committee of
Cabinet was briefed on the situation and he has spoken to NSW Premier Mike
Baird, offering him all possible Commonwealth support and assistance.
Shortly before the hostage incident, Daily Mail Australia
reported that police had announced an arrest warrant for a 25-year-old man from
northwestern Sydney, in connection with a major counter-terrorism
investigation. An NSW police spokeswoman said that at this point, the two
incidents do not appear to be connected, according to local media.
Media speculations connecting the attack to the Islamic State
have sprung up, as Australia has been supporting the US-led anti-ISIS coalition
in Syria and Iraq. Back in September, Canberra contributed 600 troops and up to
10 military aircraft to the campaign.
In October, Australia launched its first fighter jet mission
in Iraq against ISIS. “The Super Hornet aircraft conducted an air interdiction
and close air support mission over northern Iraq overnight,” the Australian
Defence Force said in a statement.
Australia had earlier raised its security level to high,
following threats of attacks by radicalized militants. Abbott warned that
terrorists may use Australia's commitment to the anti-ISIS cause as an excuse
to target the nation and its citizens.
“The reason why we are targeted is not because of anything
that we’ve done, but because of who we are and how we live,” the prime minister
said.
