Islamist Takes Hostages in Sydney Cafe

The commander of the 2014 cafe siege cafe in Sydney, Australia, which resulted in the death of two hostages, said Wednesday that he waited for a person to be killed inside the cafe before sending police in because of the alleged bomb threat.

December’s siege in a Sydney cafe was declared a terrorist incident in order to ensure businesses that suffered damages from the incident will not be denied claims due to terrorism exclusions in their insurance policies, according to Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey.

New South Wales authorities ask Australian government to extend overseas terrorist attack scheme to domestic victims.

The Islamic State has praised the results of the Sydney hostage incident, saying that the siege has spread terror to the whole country.

Australian police have raided several Sydney's proprieties on Thursday, December 18. The raids were not connected with the deadly café incident from earlier this week.

The police operation to rescue hostages from the Lindt cafe in Sydney is over with three people confirmed dead and six injured.

At around 10 a.m. local time (23:00 Sunday GMT, December 14), up to 30 customers and 10 staff were taken hostage by a gunman at Lindt Café in Sydney. Several media outlets reported that the suspect was carrying a backpack and a device that looked similar to a suicide belt.

A lone gunman took an as yet unknown number of people hostage at the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Sydney, Australia. Police moved in to cordon off the area.

Tony Abbott, Australia's Prime Minister stated that he was proud of how the police responded to the Monday the hostage-taking incident in Sydney.

Australian police have contacted a former terror suspect asking him for an Islamic State (IS) flag, a request of the hostage-taker at the Lindt cafe in Sydney, the Daily Mail reported Monday.

The Sydney Opera House has been evacuated on Monday after the discovery of a suspicious package.

Russian Consulate General in Sydney is figuring out, whether Russian nationals are among those taken hostage by at least one armed man in a Sydney cafe, according to consul Yury Kovalko.

Monday morning an armed Islamist gunman took hostages at a Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Sydney, he reportedly contacted a local radio station saying that four bombs were planted and demanding negotiations with Australian PM Tony Abbott.

Australian police announced that a sole armed man took an unknown number of people hostage at a Sydney cafe in an incident that has not yet been classified as a terrorist act.

About 40 hostages reportedly have been taken in a cafe near Australia's central bank as four explosive devices have been "planted" across Sydney.

Hostage-takers in the Sydney cafe reportedly demand to meet with Australian Prime Minister.

Up to 13 hostages have been reportedly taken at a Sydney cafe near the Australian central bank by at least two extremists with backpacks and devices similar to suicide belts.