Is Sydney Cafe a chilling reminder of 26/11?

News breaking of the Sydney Cafe hostage crisis sent out chills through the spine, reminding one of the rescue operation carried out at the Taj Mahal hotel and the Leopald Cafe.

It is as if a re-run of the hostages held up in the hotel, minus the bloodshed (till now). There are certain uncanny links that send out the same message that we might be making the same mistake yet again.

Media goof-up?

Like the 26-11 massacre, media is playing an 'important' role of keeping the attackers informed. It is really disturbing how the media continues to give away the position of armed police officers surrounding the cafe.

However, it is surprising how there is no bloodshed yet.

Strategic position

Like 26-11, the targets chosen by the militants is strategic in nature. While the terrorists attacked the posh hotels ad business hubs, apart from a hospital to make the maximum damage, the current attack at the Lindt cafe is planned at one of the busiest locations at the Martin Place.

A commercial hub, this also houses the Indian embassy, which is just a few blocks away from the site of crisis. While people from nearby buildings have been scouted away to safety, a shootout could have caused a major damage to property and lives here.

The message

The hostages at the Lindt Cafe were forced to hoist black ISIS flags and pin it to the window. The flag is said to be the Shahada flag, which is used by the group, Jabhat al Nusra. The message is similar (if not same) to that of the 26/11 crisis-Allah being the supreme.

The Sydney siege flag reads,"There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger." Sources note that the flag is not directly associated with the IS, but has been co-opted by other jihadist organization.

However, Australian authorities are hesitant to conclude anything right now as the motives of the attacker is not clear. 26/11 however was politically motivated, involving the Pakistani military and the ISI, despite denials.

This again, gives rise to a dreaded question-are the Islamic jihadi organizations joining hands for a larger religious massacre in the near future?

Why no bloodshed yet?

This is one question that is yet to be answered before answers for any other questions are sought. Did the pepetrators just want to send a message across or are their other intentions too.

That sounds as a remote possibility as shedding blood for this one reason is not reason enough to risk one's life. Fleeing after merely terrorizing cannot be an option as the place is surrounded by police.

The one last reason that hovers in one's mind is blowing oneself up after the goal is met. But, that would mean that unidentified number of hostages may lose their lives if they are not rescued.

That leaves the Australian authorities on a ticking time bomb, unaware of what lies beyond.