NEW DELHI, December 15 (Sputnik) – An Indian IT specialist is among the hostages in the Lindt Cafe in Sydney, Indian IT company Infosys confirmed Monday.
"We can confirm that one Infosys employee is among the hostage at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney. We are also in the process of confirming the whereabouts of all our employees in the city. We are in constant touch with the local authorities and Indian Consulate in Sydney for updates on the situation on ground," an e-mail circulated by Infosys spokesperson Sarah Gideon said.
The hostage has been named as Anki Viskanth Reddy. He has been working in Infosys for the last seven years and is currently working as a project manager in Australia.
"The family of the employee has been informed and we are extending all possible support to them in this difficult time," Gideon added.
At around 10 a.m. local time (23:00 Sunday GMT), up to 30 customers and 10 staff were taken hostage by a gunman at Lindt Café in Sydney. Several media outlets reported that the suspect was carrying a backpack and a device that looked similar to a suicide belt.
Shortly afterwards, people holding up a black banner with Arabic writing against the cafe's window were spotted. The banner was initially falsely attributed to the Islamic State militant group.
Australia's deputy police commissioner Catherine Burn said earlier in the day there were no indications that anyone inside the cafe was injured.
After a meeting of the National Security Committee, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott pointed out that the attack may be politically motivated. He urged the population to "go about their business as usual".
