On Monday morning, a gunman entered the Lindt Chocolate Café in downtown Sydney and took an unknown number of patrons and staff hostage. Some of the hostages have been seen holding a black flag with Arabic script — believed to be a Muslim statement of faith — in the window, though officials say they have not yet been in contact with the hostage taker.
"We don't yet know the motivation of the perpetrator — we don't know whether this is politically motivated — although obviously there are some indications that it could be," said Prime Minister Tony Abbott from Canberra, the capital. "The whole point of politically motivated violence is to scare people out of being themselves," he added. "Australia is a peaceful, open, and generous society and nothing should ever change that, and that is why I would urge all Australians today to go about their business as usual."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
5 sleeper hit cartoons about Trump's struggles to stay awake in courtCartoons Artists take on courtroom tranquility, war on wokeness, and more
-
The true story of Feud: Capote vs. The SwansIn depth The writer's fall from grace with his high-flying socialite friends in 1960s Manhattan is captured in a new Disney+ series
-
Scottie Scheffler: victory for the 'pre-eminent golfer of this era'Why Everyone's Talking About Masters victory is Scheffler's second in three years
-
10 things you need to know today: January 24, 2024Daily Briefing Trump closes in on nomination with New Hampshire win over Haley, 'Oppenheimer' leads the 2024 Oscar nominations, and more
-
10 things you need to know today: January 23, 2024Daily Briefing Haley makes last stand in New Hampshire as Trump extends polling lead, justices side with US over Texas in border fight, and more
-
10 things you need to know today: January 22, 2024Daily Briefing DeSantis ends his presidential campaign and endorses Trump, the US and Arab allies push plan to end Gaza war, and more
-
10 things you need to know today: January 19, 2024Daily Briefing Congress averts a government shutdown, DOJ report cites failures in police response to Texas school shooting, and more
-
10 things you need to know today: January 18, 2024Daily Briefing Judge threatens to remove Trump from his defamation trial, medicine for hostages and Palestinians reach Gaza, and more
-
10 things you need to know today: January 17, 2024Daily Briefing The US strikes Houthi targets in Yemen a third time, Trump's second sex defamation trial begins, and more
-
10 things you need to know today: January 16, 2024Daily Briefing Trump reinforces his grip on GOP with Iowa landslide, a Houthi missile hits a US cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, and more
-
10 things you need to know today: January 12, 2024Daily Briefing Trump slams judge, New York attorney general as fraud trial ends, the US and Britain strike Houthi sites in Yemen, and more
