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Sydney siege: Gunman takes hostages in cafe
Sydney Seige: Gunman Takes Hostages in Cafe. A gunman took over 30 people hostage at a busy cafe located not far from the Indian consulate in this Australian city.
Sydney: A gunman took over 30 people hostage at a busy cafe located not far from the Indian consulate in this Australian city.
The dramatic siege took place in Sydney's bustling central business district, days ahead of Christmas.
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The hostages were seen standing with their hands up at the windows of the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Martin Place. There was also a black and white flag, believed to be a jihadi flag, being held up in a window, Xinhua reported.
Heavily armed police responded quickly and surrounded the building. There were conflicting reports about the number of hostages. While one account put the number of hostages at 20, another account said that there were over 30 hostages.
Three hostages managed to flee, police said and added that nobody was harmed in the initial hours.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott called for calm as security personnel tried feverishly to tackle the siege.
Thousands of workers across the city have been sent home early and some of the city's major buildings including the Opera House, the State Library, Channel Seven, the New South Wales parliamentary executive offices, the NSW Supreme Court's criminal courts, the Downing Centre and several city legal chambers were evacuated.
The Indian consulate is located less than a kilometre away.
Abbott said police "are currently responding to a reported hostage taking incident in Martin Place in Sydney".
The National Security Committee of the Cabinet has also been convened for briefings on the situation.
The prime minister described it as a "deeply concerning incident, but all Australians should be reassured that our law enforcement and security agencies are well trained and equipped and are responding in a thorough and professional manner".
In New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over the siege.
"The incident in Sydney is disturbing. Such acts are inhuman and deeply unfortunate. I pray for everyone's safety," the prime minister said in a statement.
New South Wales (NSW) police commissioner Andrew Scipione said police were yet to make contact with the the one or more offenders who laid seige at the Lindt Chocolat Cafe, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
"We are still determining what it is that may well be the motivation. We are not in a position to determine where the individual is from," the paper quoted Scipione as saying.
