Terrifying

There are currently approximately fifteen hostages being held by a gunman in a cafe in central Sydney city, around 3km from where I live. It's thought that there were around twenty people inside and they were taken hostage at 10am, it's now almost 9pm. Five people, have managed to escape since 4pm although the police are refusing to say whether they escaped or were released. The police have finally managed to get the gunman to speak to their negotiator but have stated that he still hasn't revealed his reasons or demands. He did however force several of the hostages to call at least one television station and a radio station although there has been a blanket ban on them releasing any information. He has told the police that none of the hostages have been harmed so far. A black flag with white Arabic writing, in what looks like a home made version of the Islamic Black Standard flag has been pressed to the window. There's been a lot of speculation but it's impossible to know if this is terrorist related or if it's just some nutcase pretending to be Muslim.

The Lindt Cafe is popular, both with tourists and office workers, I've been there more there once as they serve the best hot chocolate in town. The cafe is usually really busy all day so I guess it's fortunate that there weren't a lot more people involved. It's terrifying to think that all of these people had gone in for morning tea and a madman with a pump action shotgun trapped them all. Automatic weapons would be incredibly difficult to obtain in Australia, and so far the only weapon seen has been the shotgun, but he is also carrying a backpack so who knows if it contains some kind of home-made bomb. He's been using hostages as human shields whenever he has been anywhere near a window. I'm not even sure if people in the surrounding business and offices are still trapped as they were all ordered, earlier in the day, to stay indoors but the upper levels of the building have all been evacuated, slowly and a stealthily as possible, by emergency crews with ladders.

Things like this happen so rarely in Australia, thank God, so we are all reeling. It gives me hope that this might end without any loss of life because five people have managed to escape and the hostages have been seen being given food. I'm really hoping this means the gunman wants to make a statement of some kind, and that he doesn't intend to hurt anyone. We can only hope.

I still can't believe this is happening.

Grabby hands

Oh Man, I want one of these so bad! Although I fear I would get nothing else done while I played with it endlessly.

Dear Santa...