Martin Place siege: Separating fact from fiction
Date
December 15, 2014 - 6:53PM
874 reading nowRead later
Brittany Ruppert, Stephanie Gardiner, Ben Grubb
Monday's siege in the CBD has seen a number of myths circulating on social media and in the press. Here's an update of what we do and don't know.
inShare
submit to redditEmail articlePrintReprints & permissions
The photo that circulated online, showing a man being arrested 200 metres away from the Lindt cafe in Martin Place.
The photo that circulated online, showing a man being arrested 200 metres away from the Lindt cafe in Martin Place.
Live updates on the siege in the Lindt cafe
Police clear Martin Place
Cafe worker missed siege by moments
Horror in the everyday is terrorists' goal
Flag in Lindt cafe not Islamic State
1. Police conduct home raids in Lakemba
Status: Busted
2GB host Ray Hadley on Monday made several significant but unconfirmed claims on air.
Around 11.30am he reported that Australian Federal Police were carrying out home raids in Lakemba. However this rumour was quickly proven false.
No stranger to controversy: 2GB host Ray Hadley.
No stranger to controversy: 2GB host Ray Hadley.
There were 20 officers doing a pre-arranged tour of Lakemba Mosque as part of a police induction day, which may have been the source of the rumours.
Police commissioner Andrew Scipione confirmed there were terror raids conducted earlier on Monday morning that resulted in the arrest of a 25-year-old Beecroft man. However at this stage there is "no connection" between the raids and the siege, Mr Scipione said.
Mr Hadley later retracted his comments.
2. Gunman makes demands and threats
Status: Retracted on police advice
First Hadley, and then several other media outlets, reported being contacted by hostages inside the cafe who were instructed to convey the gunman's demands.
Police later requested media outlets not publish this series of demands, and as such these demands have been retracted by this website.
3. Terror suspect arrested near Martin Place
Status: Busted
Around 12.30pm a photo circulated online, showing a man being arrested 200 metres away from the Lindt cafe in Martin Place. It was not immediately clear whether the arrest was related to the siege.
However, NSW police were quick to put any speculation to rest, posting on Twitter that the two incidents were unrelated.
4. Airspace closed over Sydney CBD
Status: Busted
Several media outlets reported this morning that the air space over Sydney CBD had been closed due to the siege, something confirmed to this website by Sydney Airport.
However Airservices Australia issued a statement saying: "Sydney operations are continuing and Sydney airspace has not been closed."
This was confirmed by a spokesman for federal Transport Minister Warren Truss.
"There are choppers in the air and air traffic is being rerouted accordingly," the spokesman said.
5. Sydney Harbour Bridge closed
Status: Busted
Reports during the day suggested the Harbour Bridge had been closed as other buildings in the CBD were evacuated. This never occurred.
The Cahill Expressway - one of the main routes to the Bridge - was closed, with city-bound traffic diverted to the Domain Tunnel. This decreased traffic on the Bridge, however it was still accessible to motorists using other roads, including the Pacific Highway.
6. Mobile phone reception blocked in CBD
Status: Unclear
Channel Seven reported that mobile phone services had been shut down in the CBD at the request of police.
However this claim was later refuted by the telcos, who indicated that their services had not been disrupted.
Delays were being experienced. The issues may be related to congestion from people posting photos to social media using the mobile networks and making calls at the same time.
NSW Police is yet to comment on whether it is using any mobile phone jamming equipment, although use of such equipment is illegal unless approved by the communications regulator.
7. Uber gouging passengers $100 to get out of CBD
Status: Busted
There were reports attacking Uber for charging passengers a minimum of $100 to get out of the CBD. However, the price is automatically set by a computer algorithm based on demand.
In a smartly-timed PR move, the hire care company quickly reversed its course and announced that all rides in the CBD would be free. Anyone who already paid the higher fare would be refunded.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/martin-place-siege-separating-fact-from-fiction-20141215-127jsc.html