jihadist hostage - update

The man who bumped into a gunman behind Lindt cafe siege and was threatened with being shot



Craig Stoker who believes he bumped into the terrorist as he walked down Phillip St after buying a coffee in the Lindt cafe.

• Craig Stoker bumped into gunman on Phillip St
• ‘The bag bumped into me and there was something hard in it’
• Claims bearded man was with two others similarly dressed

A SYDNEY man who came face-to-face with the hostage gunman says he threatened to “shoot him too”.


Craig Stoker was walking down Phillip St after buying a coffee in the Lindt cafe when he bumped into the gunman.
“He was wearing a black T-shirt with white writing on it and a headband and carrying a blue bag,” Mr Stoker, a father-of-four from Eastlakes, said.

“The bag bumped into me and there was something hard in it.

“I said: ‘Watch where you are f...ing going’.

“He turned round and said: ‘Do you want me to shoot you too?’.

“I looked into his eyes and they were crazy. I was pretty freaked out.”

The bearded man was with two others who were similarly dressed.

Mr Stoker had no idea how lucky his escape was.


He went in to Sydney Hospital to have some stitches removed and only realised a siege was taking place when he came out.
“I had no idea what was going on,” Mr Stoker said.
“When I found out I was pretty shaken up. I am going to buy a lottery ticket right now.”
Meanwhile, exclusion zones around the Martin Place siege have been pushed back as members of the public nervously wait for developments in the apparent terrorist event.
Police moved a cordon on Macquarie St south to Hyde Park about 1.45pm and shut businesses, office buildings and the Land and Environment Court on the street.
Other exclusion zones were widened around the Lindt cafe, where gunmen with an Islamic terrorist flag were holding shoppers and staff hostage.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...-with-being-shot/story-fnl2dlu7-1227156623104