Sydney Siege Update: Is This an ISIS-Inspired “Lone Wolf” Attack?

Apparently the hostage situation in Sydney,
Australia, where a gunman has taken control of a local cafe and is
holding people at gunpoint, is continuing. From NBC News:

Five hostages managed to flee the scene of the attack, which
analysts suggested had the hallmarks of an ISIS-inspired “lone
wolf” attack. Police would not confirm how many were still being
held inside the Lindt cafe — where a
black flag used by Islamist groups in the Middle East has been
shown in the window….

The flag shown in the cafe’s window as the hostage drama
unfolded appeared to be the Tawhid Banner. NBC News terrorism
analyst Evan Kohlmann, added that it was frequently used by Jabhat
Al-Nusra and other armed Islamist groups in the region — but not
ISIS.

Grand Mufti Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, the highest Islamic office
holder in Australia, said in a statement that the Muslim community
was “devastated” by the incident, adding that “such actions are
denounced in part and in whole in Islam.”

The hostage incident comes after police carried out a series
of major
anti-terrorism raids throughout Sydney in September. ISIS
spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani has also urged Muslims in
Australia to carry out “lone-wolf” attacks against civilians,
according to terrorism analysts at the SITE
Intelligence Group.

It was one of the biggest security operations in Sydney a
January 1984 when Turkish-born man went on a bank robbery spree,
taking 11 people hostage and fleeing the scene before being shot
dead in a dramatic road chase. In February 1978, a bomb outside the
Sydney Hilton killed to garbage truck workers.

More here.

Timeline of events.