|
Post by questa on Sept 19, 2014 5:04:24 GMT
With all the media watching the Scots decide, Australia has just coped with its greatest security threat ever.
At 6am, 600 police, Federal police and dozens of dogs, helicopters and other vehicles pulled off simultaneous raids on about 40 premises in NSW and Queensland. They took computers, cars and searched workplaces, and arrests followed.
It all turned on a phone call...since May our spooks have been following a group of I.S.L fundamentalists. They knew the what, and who, but not the when until that call.
What the bloody terrorists had planned to do was to go to Martin Place, the busy centre of Sydney CBD and choose a male victim at random and behead him in front of all the people. They were going to professionally film the event to be shown on YouTube and to cause as much distress as possible.
Did any newspapers or other media in other countries pick up this item?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2014 5:50:39 GMT
It's in the Guardian right now.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2014 6:09:37 GMT
It's not in the French media yet, but I expect that it will be commented upon this weekend.
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Sept 19, 2014 7:19:05 GMT
CNN has it.
|
|
|
Post by questa on Sept 19, 2014 7:53:19 GMT
It has shaken the people a lot, including me. On Thursday the head of ASIO, our spook mob, raised the danger level to 2nd highest level...'expect terrorist action'. The Prime Minister was not told until Thursday night and the raid was Friday.
The highest ranked Mufti in Australia was due to fly to Mecca with his entourage on Friday, but his luggage was searched for 2+ hours and he had to take a later flight by himself.
The Muslim community is split (naturally) some condemning the raids, others distancing themselves from it all, and the usual radicals threatening more.
|
|
|
Post by fumobici on Sept 19, 2014 18:05:44 GMT
I'd be quite skeptical of the reports until actual irrefutable facts are brought into public evidence. If there were infiltrators within the group (there were) it is entirely likely it was the spooks themselves pushing the idea. Just based on recent history in the US where it is almost inevitably the case. Any involvement by infiltrators will of course need to be kept secret to protect assets.
The report as given is almost the perfect package of a agitprop bomb set off to simultaneously reinflate the flagging sagging War on Terror, rationalize total state surveillance programs aimed at their own citizens and of course to push bellicose neocon foreign policy aims. I'm not saying the report isn't true as written, I'm just saying it's very likely that it will later turn out it wasn't.
|
|
|
Post by mossie on Sept 19, 2014 18:27:26 GMT
That story made the inside pages of both The Times and Daily Mail. Thank goodness someone has the nerve to act decisively.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2014 18:39:16 GMT
Still no mention in France unless you scour "Google Actualités." But of course we're bombing Iraq now, so we'll probably get our comeuppance soon enough.
|
|
|
Post by questa on Sept 20, 2014 23:57:27 GMT
Fumobici, I had not thought of this aspect and it is interesting that of 35 (I think) persons taken in by police, only 2 have been charged so far and then on token charges.
However, I doubt the situation is as you describe. ASIO is nowhere as devious as CIA (our secret spy organisation has all its numbers in the phone book!)They may have exaggerated the details a bit with help of the media but I am still glad that the action was taken. Lopping the head off someone in the lunch time crowd is too horrible to think about and worth any preventive measures. Fortunately the politicians on all sides are united on this, if there was any funny business going on as you suggest, it will come out at trial.
|
|
|
Post by fumobici on Sept 23, 2014 15:31:31 GMT
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Sept 23, 2014 18:19:46 GMT
I was talking with a journalist in Canada a week ago. When I mentioned that I found the CBC (Government run TV & radio) completely uninformative and boring, with practically no international news, she said the Harper government has cracked down, made it toothless.
She said that to interview a politician, or even a scientist working for the government, in Canada now, journalists have to submit a list of questions in advance. So much for freedom of the press.
And someone who worked at the Houses of Parliament as an assistant told us that the Conservative Party has a dress code -- no MP can just show up dressed how he wants. I wondered whether they had to wear ties with a picture of Harper on them.
So it's everywhere in what used to be relatively free countries, not just the States or Australia,
|
|
|
Post by questa on Sept 24, 2014 1:10:58 GMT
Well, it is off the front pages...it is Aussie Rules Football grand final time and that wipes everything else out. The weather is good, the BBQs are firing up and the hedonistic populace has decided that the raids were a storm in a teacup.
There have been isolated incidents of Muslim woman being abused verbally and graffiti on Mosques. A demonstration nearly turned nasty but it was way down on the news bulletins. The situation on Syrian/Turkish borders is the most worrying news for those who watch ABC or international SBS news.
There is a visible increase in security personnel at the big events...fun runs, football etc and Parliament has decided to lock the doors of Parliament House. Before anyone could just go inside and watch proceedings.
The Civil Liberties organisations are ready to jump in if there are any threats to rights, and our ABC and SBS are independent of the government.
I think the scaremongering may not work as this last event has already faded and people don't believe the politicians anyway.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2014 17:20:27 GMT
It never made the French papers, but it might come up now since the new French hostage in Algeria was decapitated today.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2014 22:21:11 GMT
Numan Haider made the French press, however.
|
|
|
Post by questa on Sept 24, 2014 22:43:02 GMT
|
|
|
Post by questa on Dec 15, 2014 9:20:10 GMT
Well, it has happened. A Muslim extremist has taken about 15 hostages in a Martin Place, Sydney, café. All day the city is in lock down and the full response is in action. Seems to be a 'lone wolf' event. Thru windows he can be seen with Arabic lettered bandanna and making hostages hold up Islamic flag (not I S) 5 hostages have escaped and told that he has pump action shot gun, hand gun and bulky backpack. Muslim community condemning him. Still ongoing...police here want peaceful end, will sit it out. More later or check news sites.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Dec 15, 2014 10:15:28 GMT
I saw that on the BBC as well as France 24 sites. The number of hostages seems to differ -- I have seen 30, 40, now you say 15. Of course, any are too many.
|
|
|
Post by questa on Dec 15, 2014 12:50:49 GMT
Multi-floor building. ground floor Lindt's Chocolate café, upper floors mainly legal offices and a child care place. 1st guess was 80 ppl, but a ladder was used to get upper floor ppl out.(babies carried down ladder to safety) Then it seemed about 20, but 5 escaped in 2 lots. Things are now in 15th hour, social media being used to contact jihadist. A LOT is going on with tactical team but press not permitted to tell.
Martin Place is centre of CBD, all main banks incl Reserve bank, most of the Courts and Uni Law school and major TV station directly opposite café.
Excuse my semi- literate text...been firing off emails all day and am barely coherent ATM.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Dec 15, 2014 14:55:32 GMT
Time to get some sleep, Questa!
On the French radio I just heard that the hostage-taker was an Iranian immigrant who had already been in trouble with the police. He claimed to have put bombs in various places in downtown Sydney. It must be awful for the hostages who have been trapped in there for so many hours now, especially if they have to stand with their arms up against the window all this time.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2014 17:53:00 GMT
Well, it is finished now except for the last thing I heard on the radio: "There are some injured people, perhaps even dead."
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2014 19:08:37 GMT
So, two of the hostages died, too. This is the sort of thing that can change Australian public opinion for a long time, just as we have seen in other countries.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2014 2:42:32 GMT
I am heartened by the #illridewithyou initiative that has started in the wake of this sad event.
|
|
|
Post by questa on Dec 16, 2014 3:38:43 GMT
It is amazing how so many people who once were ambivalent about the Muslim community have now thrown their weight into supporting them as 'fellow Australians' Not just that initiative, Lizzy, but day to day interactions are more friendly.
|
|