Breaking: #sydneysiege

Flag used in Martin Place siege belongs to Syrian extremist group Jabhat al-Nusra with jihadi ideals

·         The flag  displayed in the Martin Place siege belongs to Jabhat al-Nusra

·         The extremist group was formed to fight the Syrian government

·          The group has links with al-Qa'ida which carried out the 9/11 attacks

·         It has not previously not targeted Western victims

·         Its aim is to defeat the Syrian government and form its own Sunni state 

The flag displayed by hostages inside the Lindt cafe in the Martin Place siege belongs to the extremist group, Jabhat al Nusra, which is fighting the Assad government in Syria.

Called the Shahada flag, it differs from the black and white flag used by the group ISIS, which has carried out beheadings in Syria and Yemen.

Also known as the Al-Nusra Front or Victory Front, Jabhat al-Nusra is a Syrian-based Sunni extremist group that adheres to the global jihadist ideology of al-Qa'ida, the group behind the 9/11 attacks in 2001 .

According to Australian National Security guidelines issued by the Federal Government, al-Qa'ida in Iraq (AQI) sent operatives to Syria in late 2011 for the purpose of establishing Jabhat al-Nusra to fight the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

The Jabhat al Nursra flag is held aloft by hostages (pictured) inside the Lindt cafe in Martin Place on Monday

The Australian Government says that the group has received direct endorsement from online extremist forums aligned with al-Qa'ida and leading jihadist figures, but that previously JN had attempted to play down its extremist ideology and conceal its links to AQI to avoid alienating the Syrian population.

Jabhat al-Nusra releases videos of its attacks and operations through its media network al-Manara al-Bayda (the White Minaret).

Jabhat al-Nusra also intends to establish an Islamist caliphate across the Levantine region (the Middle East). It believes the fight against the Syrian regime is supported by religious texts, and its fighters hope to fulfill 'God's wish' for an 'Islamic caliphate'.

Through the experiences of its members who have fought in Iraq and the group's close links to AQI's leadership, Jabhat al-Nusra has reportedly been careful to date to avoid the mistakes of other extremist groups such as al-Qa'ida and ISIS - beheadings, sectarian violence and indiscriminate civilian casualties.

 Abu-Muhammad al-Jawlani (an alias) is the leader of JN and has links to AQI. He was injured in Syria in April last year.

Despite efforts by AQI leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Husseini al-Qurashi to merge with JN, al-Jawlanihas resisted.