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Turkish government deports 9 Indian allegedly wanted to join ISIS; freed after questioning

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Bangalore City Police Commissioner, M N Reddi. File Photo.

Bangalore City Police Commissioner, M N Reddi. File Photo

Bengaluru: Nine persons, who had reached Istanbul on tourist visas from Bengaluru, were detained by Turkish authorities while they were trying to cross over to Syria, and deported to India.

These individuals had reached Istanbul on tourist visas on December 24 last from here and were sent back to India on January 30, by Turkish authorities, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner M N Redi said.

“On their arrival at BIAL, they (nine individuals) were questioned by the Bengaluru City Police along with central agencies regarding the circumstances of their visit to Turkey,” Reddi said in a statement.

Turkish authorities had detained these individuals at the Turkish border while they were trying to cross over to Syria, Reddi said. They have been identified as Muhammed Abdul Ahad (46) and his family consisting of his wife and five children, natives of Chennai, Javeed Baba (24) native of Khammam district, Telangana, and Ibrahim Nowfal (24) of Hassan, Karnataka, he said.

Ahad has a Masters in Computer Science from Kennedy-Western University, California, USA, and has worked in the US for more than ten years, Reddi said. Javeed and Nowfal are also engineers by qualification, he added.

Freed

The nine people who were picked up from the Kempegowda International Airport here late on Friday after being deported from Turkey for allegedly trying to enter Syria to join terror outfit ISIS, were released on Sunday.

The Bengaluru city police, Andhra Pradesh police and intelligence agencies interrogated them for over 30 hours before letting them off. The city police also questioned the family members of Nowfal. They said the group intended to join ISIS, but was not involved with the outfit in any way.

(With PTI inputs)

ISIL sets sunset deadline for hostage swap

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ISIL threatens to kill a Jordanian pilot if al-Qaeda-linked female prisoner is not released by sunset on Thursday.

ISIL threatened to killed pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh if death row prisoner Sajida al-Rishawi was not released by sunset on Thursday [EPA]

ISIL threatened to killed pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh if death row prisoner Sajida al-Rishawi was not released by sunset on Thursday [EPA]

by Al Jazeera

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group set a deadline for Jordan to release an al-Qaeda-linked female prisoner, saying the group would kill a Jordanian pilot it holds “immediately” if the women is not freed by sunset on Thursday.

In a new audio recording a voice identifying itself as Japanese freelancer Kenji Goto said his captors would kill pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh if Iraqi death row prisoner Sajida al-Rishawi is not handed over by the end of the day.

“If Sajida al-Rishawi is not ready for exchange for my life at the Turkish border by Thursday sunset, 29th of January, Mosul time, the Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh will be killed immediately,” Goto said, in an unverified audio message distributed by ISIL-linked Twitter accounts.

It was not clear from the message if either Goto or Kasasbeh would be freed.

The recording was reported by monitoring group SITE Intelligence.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament: “We are aware of the new message…(and) are verifying (its authenticity).”

The apparent communication breaks an anxious silence from the group since their previous 24-hour deadline for Rishawi expired, around 14:00 GMT Wednesday.

Amman had offered to free the Iraqi woman, who was convicted for her part in 2005 triple-hotel bombings in the Jordanian capital that killed 60 people, if the ISIL released their airman.

“Jordan is ready to release the prisoner Sajida al-Rishawi if the Jordanian pilot is freed unharmed,” state television quoted a government spokesman as saying on Wednesday.

“From the start, the position of Jordan was to ensure the safety of our son, the pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh,” it added. The government spokesman made no mention of Japanese hostage Goto.

‘Save my son’

Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh wrote on Twitter shortly before 15:00 GMT that his country was still awaiting confirmation that the pilot was safe.

Wednesday passed in a maelstrom of conflicting reports on the fate of the three key players, complicated by linguistic and cultural misunderstandings, and by the high stakes on all sides.

The atmosphere was tense in Jordan, where the country’s involvement in the US-led air raids against ISIL positions is contentious.

The downing on December 24 of Kasasbeh’s F-16 fighter jet over northern Syria and his subsequent capture and humiliation by ISIL exacerbated the situation.

This week the pilot’s father begged the government to save his son “at any price”.

Japan, which plays no military part in the fight against ISIL, was thrust onto the front line last week when a video appeared in which Goto and Haruna Yukawa, a self-described contractor, were seen kneeling in the desert.

A masked knifeman said Tokyo had 72 hours to pay a $200m ransom if it wanted to spare their lives.

When that deadline expired, new pictures appeared to show Yukawa had been beheaded, and a voice identifying itself as Goto demanded the release of Rishawi.

That twist left Japan pleading with Jordan, whose trump card-high-value al-Qaeda operative Rishawi – in the battle to get back its own captured airman had now been compromised.

In their next communication, on Tuesday, ISIL demanded Rishawi be handed over in exchange for Goto within 24 hours or both he and Kasasbeh would be killed.

Japan, a large donor to Jordan, has thrown itself on Amman’s mercy, aware that they hold the key to Goto’s safety, but also knowing that intense domestic pressure means the Jordanians must prioritise Kasasbeh.

The Japanese public has rallied round Goto, a respected war reporter and humanitarian, and though they are largely supportive of Abe’s handling of the crisis thus far, may take a dim view if he does not come home alive.

Goto’s mother, Junko Ishido, was at Japan’s parliament on Wednesday in a failed bid to meet Abe. After being refused an appointment, she issued a plea for her son’s life through assembled media.

“Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,” Ishido said. “Please continue your utmost efforts in negotiating with the Jordanian government until the last minute. There is not much time left.”

Japan seeks help from Jordan on ISIL hostage

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Efforts to free Japanese journalist and Jordanian pilot comes after ISIL threatens to kill the two within 24 hours.

About 200 relatives of captured Jordanian pilot protested outside the prime minister's office in Amman [AP]

About 200 relatives of captured Jordanian pilot protested outside the prime minister’s office in Amman [AP]

by Al Jazeera

Japan is seeking help from the Jordanian government after the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIL) group released a new video threatening to kill Japanese journalist Kenji Goto and Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kaseasbeh held hostage within 24 hours.

Japanese and Jordanian officials were reportedly holding talks over ISIL’s demand for the release of Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman convicted for her part in multiple bombings in Amman in 2005 that killed 60 people, in exchange for Goto and al-Kaseasbeh.

An angry Japanese prime minister on Wednesday slammed as “utterly despicable” the threat to kill both hostages.

“The government, in this extremely severe situation, has been asking for the Jordanian government’s cooperation towards the early release of Mr Goto, and this policy remains unchanged,” Shinzo Abe said.

After initially demanding a $200 million ransom for the release of the two Japanese men, the group said it wanted Jordan to free Sajida al-Rishawi, a would-be suicide bomber who has been on death row since 2006.

Goto was abducted by fighters in October last year after venturing into Syria on a mission to free his friend Haruna Yukawa.

Yukawa was apparently executed last week after Japan failed to meet an initial $270m ransom demand by Friday.

Parents of hostages plea

Goto’s mother Junko Ishido read to reporters a plea to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday to “Please save Kenji,” which she said she had sent earlier in the day.

She begged Abe to work with the Jordanian government to try to save Goto, saying “Kenji has only a little time left.”

Safi al-Kaseasbeh, the father of the Jordanian hostage, made a last-ditch appeal for Jordan “to meet the demands” of ISIL to secure his release.

Several hundred people, including relatives of the Jordanian pilot, gathered in front of the office of Jordan’s prime minister late on Tuesday, urging the authorities to meet the ISIL demands and release al-Rishawi to save the young pilot’s life.

A member of Jordan’s parliament said the country was in indirect talks with the fighters to secure the hostages’ release.

Bassam Al-Manasseer, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, told Bloomberg News that the negotiations are taking place through religious and tribal leaders in Iraq, adding that Jordan and Japan will not negotiate directly with ISIL and will not free al-Rishawi in exchange for Goto only.

Manaseer’s comments were the strongest suggestion yet that authorities in Jordan and Japan may be open to a prisoner exchange, something that would go against the policy of the kingdom’s main ally, the US, which opposes negotiating with armed groups.

Japan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Yasuhide Nakayama was in Amman to coordinate hostage-release efforts with Jordan, but refused comment on details of the talks early on Wednesday.

France admits soldiers have deserted to ISIS, including ex-elite special forces and French foreign legionnaires

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French soldiers take a break in a gymnasium at the Command Center of France's national security alert system Vigipirate on Jan. 21. in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, west of Paris. AFP PHOTO/KENZO TRIBOUILLARD

French soldiers take a break in a gymnasium at the Command Center of France’s national security alert system Vigipirate on Jan. 21. in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, west of Paris. AFP PHOTO/KENZO TRIBOUILLARD

by Henry Samuel, The Telegraph

Several French former soldiers have joined the ranks of jihadists fighting in Syria and Iraq, the country’s government confirmed on Wednesday, as it outlined a series of new anti-terrorism measures following the Islamist attacks in Paris.

Most of the ex-soldiers, reportedly numbering around 10 and including former paratroopers and French foreign legionnaires, are said to be fighting on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Most worrying is the reported presence of an ex-member of France’s elite First Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment, considered one of Europe’s most experienced special forces units and which shares the “Who Dares Wins” motto of the SAS.

The unnamed individual, of North African origin, had received commando training in combat, shooting and survival techniques. He served for five years before joining a private security company for which he worked in the Arabian peninsula, where he was radicalised before heading for Syria, according to L’Opinion, a news website.

One of the defectors had become the leader of a group of a dozen or so French-born Islamists operating in the Syrian region of Deir Ezzor who had all received combat training, reported Radio France International, or RFI.

Others, apparently in their twenties, were explosive experts. Some were Muslim converts while others were radicalised French from an “Arab-Muslim” background, said RFI.

Jean-Yves Drian, the French defence minister, confirmed the existence of a handful of ex-French military personnel among jihadist fighters in the Middle East, but tried to play down their presence, saying the phenomenon was “extremely rare”.

However, they will raise fears over the risk of a French version of the 2009 gun rampage at Fort Hood, the U.S. military base in Texas, where Nadal Hasan, a U.S. army major who turned to radical Islam, killed 13 servicemen scheduled to leave for Afghanistan.

Drian said that the French armed forces’ internal security and protection unit, DPSD, would “reinforce its vigilance and see its means increased.”

News of the defections came as Manuel Valls, the French prime minister, unveiled anti-terrorism measures worth over $600 million after France’s worst Islamist attack in which 17 people were killed earlier this month.

It coincided with a government pledge to cut 7,500 fewer defence jobs in the next five years than previously planned.

Valls said 2,680 new jobs would be created to fight terrorism by 2018 – around half in intelligence.

France now has to monitor almost 3,000 people involved in “terrorist networks” following a 130 per cent jump in those linked to jihadists in Iraq and Syria in the past year, he said.

An extra 60 Muslim clerics would be recruited to work with potential militants in France’s overcrowded prisons, while five units would be created to isolate radicalized inmates.

Valls said the idea of stripping offenders of certain civic rights – a measure mirroring a post-war law barring Nazi collaborators from voting, holding office or working for the state – would be debated.

Other moves included the creation of “cyberpatrols” to track jihadists and recruitment online and the launch of a website dedicated to countering Islamist indoctrination.

The decision to boost web surveillance came after a group of hackers loyal to Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, broke into the Twitter account of Le Monde.

The attack by the Syrian Electronic Army forced Le Monde to suspend temporarily its Twitter account, which has 3.3 million followers, but the paper later said it had regained control of its computers, adding: “We apologize for any fraudulent posts on our behalf.”

Before that, the hackers managed to post messages including: “Je ne suis pas Charlie” (I am not Charlie). This was reference to the now famous “Je suis Charlie” message brandished by millions in tribute to the 12 people killed at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, the satirical weekly, earlier this month.

They were shot dead by Cherif and Said Koachi, two French brothers of Algerian origin with links to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The same week, Amedy Coulibaly, a home-grown Islamist, killed a police officer and four hostages at a Jewish supermarket east of Paris. Four men aged 22 to 28 were placed under formal investigation yesterday over the Coulibaly killings.

UN: Syrians largest refugee group after Palestinians

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Syrian refugee children sit outside their tent near the hills of Ersal. Al-Akhbar/Marwan Tahtah

Syrian refugee children sit outside their tent near the hills of Ersal. Al-Akhbar/Marwan Tahtah

by Al-Akhbar

Syrians have overtaken Afghans as the largest refugee population aside from Palestinians, fleeing to more than 100 countries to escape war in their homeland, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

At more than 3 million as of mid-2014, Syrians accounted for nearly one in four of the 13 million refugees worldwide being assisted by the UN refugee agency, the highest figure since 1996, it said in a report. Some 5 million Palestinians refugees are cared for by a separate agency, UNRWA.

“As long as the international community continues to fail to find political solutions to existing conflicts and to prevent new ones from starting, we will continue to have to deal with the dramatic humanitarian consequences,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

At least 200,000 people have died and half the Syrian population has been displaced since the conflict began in March 2011 with protests that spiraled into violent clashes between extremist groups and the Syrian army.

Worldwide, an estimated 5.5 million people were forcibly uprooted during the first six months of last year, 1.4 million of them fleeing abroad, the UNHCR said.

The Middle East and North Africa has become the main region of origin of refugees, overtaking the Asia and Pacific region that held the top spot for more than a decade.

Afghan refugees, the biggest group for three decades, have fallen to second place, with 2.6 million hosted by Pakistan and Iran at mid-year, it said. Somalis ranked as the third largest refugee group at 1.1 million.

Syria’s neighbors — Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Turkey — continue to bear the brunt of the crisis.

Lebanon’s population has grown by nearly 25 percent since the war in Syria began in 2011, with over 1.5 million Syrian refugees sheltered in a country with a population of 4 million, making it the highest per capita concentration of refugees in the world.

“With 257 refugees per 1,000 inhabitants, Lebanon remains the country with the highest refugee density at mid-2014,” UNHCR said, noting that Jordan ranked second.

The refugee influx has put huge pressure on Lebanon’s already scarce resources and poor infrastructure, education and health systems, and has also contributed to rising tensions in a nation vulnerable to security breaches and instability.

Overwhelmed by a massive influx of desperate refugees, Lebanon began imposing unprecedented visa restrictions on Syrians on Monday.

The new rule is the latest in a series of measures taken by Lebanon to stem the influx of Syrians.

In October, Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas said Lebanon was effectively no longer receiving Syrian refugees, with limited exceptions for “humanitarian reasons.”

Meanwhile, Sweden, with 12 refugees per 1,000 inhabitants, is the only industrialized country among major hosts, ranking 10th, it said.

Syrians also formed the largest group of asylum-seekers worldwide during the first half of 2014, lodging 59,600 applications, it said. Germany and Sweden together received 40 percent of these claims, it added.

According to a report by Amnesty in December, wealthy nations have only taken in a “pitiful” number of the millions of refugees uprooted by Syria’s conflict, placing the burden on the country’s ill-equipped neighbors.

“Around 3.8 million refugees from Syria are being hosted in five main countries within the region: Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt,” said Amnesty.

“Only 1.7 percent of this number have been offered sanctuary by the rest of the world,” the rights group added.

Excluding Germany, the European Union as a whole has pledged to take in only 0.17 percent of the refugees now housed in the main host countries around Syria.

“The shortfall… is truly shocking,” said Sherif Elsayed-Ali, Amnesty’s head of refugee and migrants’ rights.

“The complete absence of resettlement pledges from the Gulf is particularly shameful,” he said, adding, “linguistic and religious ties should place the Gulf states at the forefront of those offering safe shelter.”

Iraqis fleeing conflict were the second largest group of asylum-seekers during the period, at 28,900, the report said.

Last year nearly 3,500 migrants perished while trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe, the UNHCR says.

(Reuters, Al-Akhbar)

Mehdi Masroor Biswas sent to judicial custody

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Mehdi Masroor Biswas

Bengaluru: A special court Friday sent ISIS Twitter handler Mehdi Masroor Biswas to 14 day judicial custody after his 15-day police custody expired, a top police official said.

“Our probe team has collected sufficient evidence from him (Mehdi) on his pro-ISIS propaganda for the banned terrorist outfit (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) during his police custody over the last two weeks,” city Police Commissioner M.N. Reddi told reporters here.

The 24-year-old executive in a private firm was arrested Dec 14 and a case was registered against him under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Information Technology (IT) Act for waging war against a friendly country.

“With the help of social media experts, we have so far analysed about 12,000 messages Mehdi tweeted/posted on his Facebook account, in which he encouraged youth to join ISIS though it is difficult to establish if recruitment took place,” Reddi said.

British News Channel 4 Dec 11 unmasked Mehdi as a radical supporter of ISIS through social media and Twitter handler @ShamiWitness where he was regularly tweeting from here on the group’s unlawful activities in Iraq and Syria.

“Investigation so far has revealed that Mehdi is a propagandist of ISIS ideology and has been instrumental in influencing minds against our friendly countries and against whom the terror group is at war,” Reddi said.

Mehdi, who hails from Gopalpur town in West Bengal’s Nadia district, is employed in the foods division of the Kolkata-based ITC Ltd here.

“We know Mehdi was in touch with one combatant in Iraq and was of some help to him, informing him of movement of forces and availability of passages. He is a highly radicalised person and has deep knowledge of what he was doing,” Reddi said.

Mehdi confessed to the investigation team that he had been operating the Twitter account after he got interested in the developments of the Levantine region comprising Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Gaza Strip, Egypt and Libya.

He has about 17,000 Twitter followers and used to aggressively tweet by collecting information and watching developments in the desert region.

Mehdi’s Twitter handler was shut Dec 12 after the news channel revealed his identity and reported about the terror activities he was carrying in the virtual world beyond office hours.

(IANS)

U.S. to send more private contractors to Iraq

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USA private contractors Iraq

Washington/Kazinform: The U.S. government is preparing to boost the number of private contractors in Iraq as part of President Barack Obama’s growing effort to beat back Islamic State militants threatening the Baghdad government, a senior U.S. official said, AKI Press reports.

How many contractors will deploy to Iraq – beyond the roughly 1,800 now working there for the U.S. State Department – will depend in part, the official said, on how widely dispersed U.S. troops advising Iraqi security forces are, and how far they are from U.S. diplomatic facilities.

Still, the preparations to increase the number of contractors – who can be responsible for everything from security to vehicle repair and food service – underscores Obama’s growing commitment in Iraq. When U.S. troops and diplomats venture into war zones, contractors tend to follow, doing jobs once handled by the military itself.

“It is certain that there will have to be some number of contractors brought in for additional support,” said the senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

After Islamic State seized large swaths of Iraqi territory and the major city of Mosul in June, Obama ordered U.S. troops back to Iraq. Last month, he authorized roughly doubling the number of troops, who will be in non-combat roles, to 3,100, but is keen not to let the troop commitment grow too much.

There are now about 1,750 U.S. troops in Iraq, and U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel last week ordered deployment of an additional 1,300.

The U.S. military’s reliance on civilians was on display during Hagel’s trip to Baghdad this month, when he and his delegation were flown over the Iraqi capital in helicopters operated by State Department contractors.

The problem, the senior U.S. official said, is that as U.S. troops continue flowing into Iraq, the State Department’s contractor ranks will no longer be able to support the needs of both diplomats and troops.

After declining since late 2011, State Department contractor numbers in Iraq have risen slightly, by less than 5 percent, since June, a State Department spokesman said.

Mehdi Masroor Biswas's police custody extended by 15 days

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Mehdi Masroor Biswas

Bengaluru: A court here Thursday extended the police custody of alleged Islamic State (IS) supporter Mehdi Masroor Biswas by 15 days for further interrogation on charges of waging war against a country which is at peace with India, police said.

“We produced Mehdi in the sessions court on expiry of his five-day custody to further interrogate him on his postings in the social media and Twitter handle (@ShamiWitness), as part of our investigation. We have secured his custody for another 15 days up to Jan 2,” city police commissioner M.N. Reddi told reporters.

Police registered a criminal case Dec 13 against Biswas under specific sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Information Technology (IT) Act for waging war against any Asiatic power in alliance or at peace with India.

A British news channel Dec 11 unmasked the city-based 24-year-old executive as a radical supporter of the IS through social media and Twitter.

“The investigation so far has revealed that Biswas is a propagandist of IS ideology and has been instrumental in influencing minds against our friendly countries and against whom the terror group is at war,” Reddi said.

Biswas, who hails from Gopalpur town in West Bengal’s Nadia district, is employed in the foods division of a Kolkata-based company in Bengaluru.

He confessed that he was operating the Twitter account after he got interested in the developments of the Levantine region comprising Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Gaza Strip, Egypt and Libya.

His parents – Mikhael Biswas and Mamtaz Begum – who arrived in Bengaluru Wednesday from Kolkata, were allowed to meet their son at an undisclosed place, as he has been in police custody since Dec 14.

“His parents also met me and shared their concerns over his alleged involvement with the IS terror activities through the social media. I have assured them that our investigation would be impartial, unbiased and objective,” Reddi said.

(IANS)

IS banned in India, minority youths discouraged from joining: Rajnath

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Rajnath Singh

New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday said the Islamic State (IS) terror group has been banned in India, and congratulated the Indian minorities for discouraging their youth from joining the outfit.

“We have banned the ISIS as a first step. I will like to inform (the house) that the group has been banned under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Amendment Act 62,” he told the Lok Sabha, referring to the terror outfit by its earlier name ISIS.

Rajnath Singh said the group has been proscribed under the provisions of the UAPA that relates to organisations listed in the schedule to the UN Prevention and Suppression of Terrorist (Implementation of Security Council Resolutions) Order, 2007 made under section 2 of the United Nations (Security Council) Act, 1947 and amended from time to time.

The home minister said the government had taken cognizance immediately after the IS activities began to spread in various parts of the world.

“There are only a handful or negligible number of people involved in ISIS activities in India. Their involvement too has not been direct. I congratulate the Indian minorities for discouraging their youth,” he said during question hour in the Lok Sabha.

In many developed countries like Britain and France, minority families were encouraging youth to join the IS, but Indian minorities were discouraging their children, he said.

“I congratulate the minority community for discouraging youth from getting radicalised,” Rajnath Singh said.

Responding to a supplementary question on steps taken by the government to prevent the spread of the IS, he said India has already banned the outfit and was monitoring the cyberspace to stop its propaganda.

“Cyberspace is a very serious issue. To monitor this system, it needs to be strengthened and I have asked for a committee to be constituted to monitor this.”

“We will ensure that it is properly monitored,” he added.

Mehdi Masroor Biswas, a pro-Islamic State (IS) tweeter, was arrested Saturday from Bengaluru after a British news channel Dec 11 unmasked the 24-year-old executive as a supporter of the outfit through social media and Twitter handle @ShamiWitness.

The home minister also assured the Lok Sabha that no innocent person from the minority community would be taken into custody with regard to suspected terror activities. If there were such instances, they could be brought to his notice.

Responding to another query on the IS, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said the matter was “very, very sensitive and the details cannot be discussed”.

(IANS)

Indian consulate in Sydney evacuated

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SYDNEY CAFE SIEGE

New Delhi: The Indian consulate in Australia’s Sydney city has been evacuated following a hostage taking at a nearby cafe, an official said.

Vinod Bahade, deputy consul general in Sydney, told IANS that though there was no confirmation regarding the nationality of the hostages, the officials were in constant touch with the security agencies.

The consulate is barely 400 metres from the cafe where a gunman took over three dozen people hostage.

“Minutes after we got to know that some people at a nearby cafe have been taken hostage by a gunman, the Indian consulate was evacuated. However, we have not shut it and the work will resume once the problem is solved,” Bahade told IANS over phone from Sydney.

The hostage-taking took place in Sydney’s bustling central business district.

Bahade said they have been constantly getting updates from the Australian authorities and trying to know if any Indian was among the hostages.

Surinder Datta, deputy high commissioner at the Indian High Commission at Canberra, told IANS that the incident is being constantly being monitored.

“We are taking reports from the Indian consulate in Sydney. This is a very critical issue and we do not want to take any decision in hurry,” he told IANS over phone from Canberra.

(IANS)

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