[ForceHSS]

BREAKING AUSTRALIA UPDATE:
--- NSW police commissioner Andrew Scipione on the flag that was put up in the window of the cafe:
"Again, it’s a flag that we’ve had people looking at. We’re trying to work out what it stands for but at this stage it’s probably best that I don’t take that any further. We’re working with our partner agencies to better determine what it is we’re dealing with there.
Scipione says there is no confirmation the siege is related to terrorism."
THIS WHOLE THING IS A DARN JOKE! IF YOUR NOT GOING TO CALL IT WHAT IT IS THEN YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT IT!

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BREAKING AUSTRALIA UPDATE:
--- A man has told the Daily Telegraph he bumped into the gunman outside of the Lindt cafe and the gunman threatened to “shoot him too”:
Craig Stoker told the newspaper:
He was wearing a black T-shirt with white writing on it and a headband and carrying a blue bag.
The bag bumped into me and there was something hard in it. I said ‘watch where you are ++++ing going’.
“He turned round and said ‘do you want me to shoot you too?.’ I looked into his eyes and they were crazy,” said Mr Stoker, a father of four from Eastlakes. “I was pretty freaked out.”
Interestingly, Stoker told the Daily Telegraph the man was with two other who were dressed similarly. So far we have only had confirmation of one offender.

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BREAKING AUSTRALIA UPDATE:
--- People seen running out of Lindt cafe
It appears three people have fled from the Lindt cafe. One staff member and what appears to be two customers were seen running from the cafe while police stood out the front with weapons drawn.
--- It is not clear if the three people - who we believe to be hostages - were freed or escaped from the Lindt cafe. They ran out of a side door where heavily armed police were and hid behind the police.