MOSCOW, December 15 (Sputnik) — Five people have managed to escape from a Sydney cafe, where an armed man took up to 40 people hostage on Monday morning, ABC News reported.
00:33 a.m. (AEMD)
The gunman is allegedly Iranian; he is probably an asylum seeker with numerous rape charges and murder of ex-wife.
@RT_com gunman in #Sydney seige is an #Iranian asylum seeker with numerous rape charges and murder of ex wife
— Maggie Pie (@adlitammm) December 15, 2014
00:30 a.m. (AEMD)
The New South Wales police commissioner Andrew Scipione told journalists that all the hostages are believed to be unharmed.
00:15 a.m. (AEMD)
7 News Sydney correspondent Chris Reason reports via Twitter that movement was spotted in the cafe.
There's been movement at the cafe, the gunman moving a hostage past the window, two more hostages change positions. Not much sleep in there
— Chris Reason (@ChrisReason7) December 15, 2014
00:04 a.m. (AEMD)
#Sydney terrorist issues demands via hostages in videos:
— Julie Lenarz (@MsJulieLenarz) December 15, 2014
1. Speak to PM
2. Announce it's #ISIS attack
3. #ISIS flaghttps://t.co/GrYsGb2S6i
11:45 p.m. (AEMD)
Some media report that gunman is holding about 20 hostages in complete darkness at Lindt Cafe in Sydney.
11:30 p.m. (AEMD)
"Our focus to date has been on the welfare of those people who are being held hostage in this siege situation in Martin Place. The matter is in the hands of the New South Wales authorities and I think it’s too early for us to speculate on the motivations or the detail," Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commenting on the Sydney siege. "Our concern is to ensure that this ends, hopefully peacefully, as soon as possible."
11:19 p.m. (AEMD)
Media report that the police are still in direct negotiations with the gunman.
10:53 p.m. (AEMD)
More than 12 hours on, night falls on Sydney as hostages remain still trapped in the cafe.
Lights out at #sydneysiege cafe as stand-off enters 12th hour http://t.co/uKNLKpiVgn pic.twitter.com/qXXkwyUguD
— Daily Mail Australia (@DailyMailAU) December 15, 2014
10:41 p.m. (AEMD)
Some roads remain closed around Sydney's central business district due to the ongoing police operation, according to NSW Police official Twitter account.
10:37 p.m. (AEMD)
You can only imagine the trauma and the exhaustion of the people who remain hostages in the CBD tonight. #Sydney pic.twitter.com/qSj9xQFf7S
— DeborahClay (@DeborahClay) December 15, 2014
10:28 p.m. (AEMD)
Clover Moore, Lord Mayor of Sydney, wrote via Twitter that central business district will be open and operating tomorrow.
Sydney's CBD will be open & operating tomorrow, with some road closures, changes to bus routes and no trains stopping at Martin Place.
— Clover Moore (@CloverMoore) December 15, 2014
10:21 p.m. (AEMD)
Town hall station in #Sydney city, usually busy at this time, is eerily quiet. #SydneySiege pic.twitter.com/DDzPmV20xz
— Amro Ali (@_amroali) December 15, 2014
10:11 p.m. (AEMD)
NCW police published a video of NSW Premier Mile Baird and commissioner Andrew Scipione's news conference on Sydney siege.
Premier Baird and Commissioner Scipione at the 8:30pm news conference re: police operation in Martin Place http://t.co/LOJQGsYcmc
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) December 15, 2014
9:58 p.m. (AEMD)
The police appear to be preparing for the possibility the siege will continue into Tuesday morning and possibly longer, BBC reports.
Australian hostage negotiation expert says officers are likely to wait it out until suspected lone gunman grows weary http://t.co/Si32A8mAra
— Telegraph Breaking News (@TelegraphNews) December 15, 2014
9:45 p.m. (AEMD)
Current road closures in Sydbey CBD... #sydneysiege pic.twitter.com/qX3XGa5itD
— IBYANG ☕ (@ibyang) December 15, 2014
These streets are currently blocked off in Sydney.
Airspace in Sydney is open but some flights are being diverted around the central business district, media report.
9:36 p.m. (AEMD)
More than 40 Australian Muslim groups have jointly condemned the #Sydneysiege http://t.co/zaaJmX7qYP pic.twitter.com/FMea5hXP5u
— Telegraph News (@TelegraphNews) December 15, 2014
9:30 p.m. (AEMD)
Mark Di Stefano, Buzzfeed breaking news reporter wrote on Twitter that Sydney central business district is very quiet right now.
9:20 p.m. (AEMD)
Police negotiators have been in contact with the hostage takers who are armed. The motives still remains unclear.
9:11 p.m. (AEMD)
#illridewithyou hashtag showing support for Muslim Australians takes off on social media following a siege at the Lindt cafe in Sydney.
9:05 p.m. (AEMD)
A witness in Sydney told Sputnik that the police had just held another conference, but are not giving any information away. NSW State Premier told everyone in the lockout zone to work from home tomorrow.
9:01 p.m. (AEDT)
Latest pic from wires (@AP) as night falls in #Sydney; police hold positions outside #sydneysiege pic.twitter.com/7vSm0uJzOC
— Julia Macfarlane (@juliamacfarlane) December 15, 2014
8:59 p.m. (AEDT)
UPDATE: "The hostages called on the direction of the gunman. I could hear the gunman in the background." - @MarkWBurrows #SydneySiege #9News
— Nine News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) December 15, 2014
8:53 p.m. (AEDT)
A black flag with white Arabic writing reading "There is no God but Allah" and "Mohammed is the messenger of God" is seen in the cafe.
Still complete darkness at the Lindt Cafe, but you can just make out the black extremist flag being held up in the window
— Chris Reason (@ChrisReason7) December 15, 2014
8:38 p.m. (AEDT)
TEN news has received a video in which a #lindtcafe hostage relays the gunman's demands. At police request we will not broadcast it.
— Hugh Riminton (@hughriminton) 15 декабря 2014
8:36 p.m. (AEDT)
UPDATE: Mosques, synagogues and churches to open tonight for vigils. http://t.co/TOotDzz6FI #SydneySiege #9News pic.twitter.com/nQxRlHvQhW
— Nine News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) 15 декабря 2014
8:31 p.m. (AEDT)
"I understand that no one has been injured, and if that is true we are grateful," NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said. He also confirmed police are in contact with the gunman. The National Security Committee of Cabinet has met twice; Prime Minister Tony Abbott described the incident as "profoundly shocking".
'I want to praise Sydneysiders for what they've done today.' — NSW Police Force Commissioner Andrew Scipione #SydneySiege #9News
— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) 15 декабря 2014
8:28 p.m. (AEDT)
According to reports, three men and two women escape a cafe in Sydney where an undisclosed number of people are being held hostage by an armed man.
#SydneySiege police: "We're not at liberty to discuss how many people are still inside the cafe." http://t.co/OjulBqM7w2 #c4news
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) December 15, 2014
8:17 p.m. (AEDT)
Police are preparing to continue the hostage rescue operation into the night as the local time in Sydney is now 8 p.m.
8:10 p.m. (AEDT)
The lights in the cafe have just gone off
— Chris Reason (@ChrisReason7) 15 декабря 2014
7:58 p.m. (AEDT)
ABC Australia Julia Holman wrote via Twitter that police have identified the gunman, he is known to New South Wales police. But media outlets are being asked not to name him at this point.
Police have identified who the gunman is. He is known to police. NSW Police have asked the ABC not to identify him #sydneysiege #abc730
— Julia Holman (@JulesHolman) December 15, 2014
7:51 p.m. (AEDT)
The Australian Muslim community releases a statement saying that they share utter shock and horror at the unprecedented scenes emerging from the Lindt cafe.
Australian Muslim community releases statement in response to #sydneysiege. pic.twitter.com/VJofHybEUi
— 7News Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) December 15, 2014
7:48 p.m. (AEDT)
The gunman was allegedly "extremely agitated", shouting as some hostages escaped, Gold Coast Blog reports.
7:42 p.m. (AEDT)
Chris Reason, 7 News Sydney correspondent, has been tweeting what he could see from channel's newsroom which directly overlooks into the Lindt Cafe.
From inside Martin Place newsroom we can see gunman is rotating hostages, forcing them to stand against windows, sometimes 2 hours at a time
— Chris Reason (@ChrisReason7) December 15, 2014
From inside Martin Place we can see the faces of hostages — pained, strained, eyes red and raw. One young am with head in hands
— Chris Reason (@ChrisReason7) December 15, 2014
From inside the Martin Place newsroom — we can see food is being delivered to the hostages. Staff bringing it out from kitchen at back
— Chris Reason (@ChrisReason7) December 15, 2014
7:35 p.m. (AEDT)
from Sydney..@martinplace #sydneysiege.. pic.twitter.com/l6KRReRvSB
— Yvette (@Yvette_BeeCool) December 15, 2014
7:33 p.m. (AEDT)
Indian IT professional among hostages in #sydneysiege. Gunman demands #IslamicState flag, wants to talk to Abbott http://t.co/U4iWcoe9Bn
— dna (@dna) December 15, 2014
7:28 p.m. (AEDT)
7:20 p.m. (AEDT)
Connards! RT @DailyMailAU: Shameful tourists take selfies at scene of #SydneySiege http://t.co/8d4PfO56rY pic.twitter.com/fuxzLuUtda”
— TakeMeBackToTheStars (@KenzAlohomora) December 15, 2014
7:13 p.m. (AEDT)
PICTURE — Masses of journalists at police cordon in central #Sydney #sydneysiege #lindtcafe pic.twitter.com/3oLXhEIBBC
— Ruptly (@Ruptly) December 15, 2014
7:09 p.m. (AEDT)
Bridge Street. Usually at this time on a Monday completely jammed with traffic and people… #sydneysiege #sydney pic.twitter.com/1x5jXnTyIJ
— Vaio Archontakis (@Vaio0234) December 15, 2014
7:03 p.m. (AEDT)
NSW deputy police commissioner Catherine Burn said that the five hostages who left the cafe "are now being assessed to make sure their health is okay and then the police will talk to them." She would not confirm how many are left in the cafe, BBC reports.
6:59 p.m. (AEDT)
Pics from the #Sydney hostage.. pic.twitter.com/AecHItScyY
— POWER987 News (@POWER987News) December 15, 2014
6:55 p.m. (AEDT)
New South Wales police are monitoring social media; say they won't speculate on gunman demands reported by local media: Deputy commissioner, according to the Straits Times Australia.
6:42 p.m. (AEDT)
NSW deputy police commissioner, Catherine Burn, during a press conference, said that five people have left the building.
"I won’t clarify any operation tactics at the moment. It is really important to remember that this is ongoing, that we still have people who are being held. We still have a person that we are dealing with. So as soon as we are able to provide that information, we certainly will but the good news is that we do have five people who have come out of that building and that we are now dealing with," she said.
Deputy Commissioner Burn: “Five people have been released.”
— NSW Police (@nswpolice) December 15, 2014
6:40 p.m. (AEDT)
Hashtag #PrayforSydney gains increasing popularity on Twitter.
6:37 p.m. (AEDT)
A witness claims that a gunman is a tall man in his late 40s. He demands an Islamic State flag.
In the end of it all goodness and light always prevails! Keep strong people of Sydney.. #sydneysiege http://t.co/N83pSJ8YBl
— Sanjay Patwal ॐ (@sanjaysinghic) December 15, 2014
6:35 p.m. (AEDT)
BREAKING: Unconfirmed reports of a 6th hostage escaping from the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place #sydneysiege #Sydney
— Cardinal Karl Pearce (@KarlDotKiwi) December 15, 2014
6:30 p.m. (AEDT)
I was briefed overnight on the siege in Sydney. It's deeply concerning and my thoughts are with all those caught up in it.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) 15 декабря 2014
6:15 p.m. (AEDT)
Australian PM has delivered his second statement on the hostage situation in Sydney.
6:07 p.m. (AEDT)
A correspondent from TEN News Sydney is reported to have spoken to hostages inside the cafe, and the suspect made a number of demands.
#Sydneysiege hostage situation leads to road closures and transport diversions across #Sydney http://t.co/Euu8cnPnCd pic.twitter.com/1FPxfPS7WV
— ABC News (@abcnews) December 15, 2014
6:04 p.m. (AEDT) Pictures of people taking selfies at Martin Place have appeared on Twitter and attracted much criticism from the online community. Users are calling them "disrespectful".
6:01 p.m. (AEDT)
It has been reported by Sky News that two more hostages have been released.
Two women, believed to be staff members, have also fled besieged #Lindt cafe — http://t.co/r0T3gp12IK #sydneysiege pic.twitter.com/BT41vpMgZd
— 7News Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) 15 декабря 2014
ABC News live video showed that at least three people escaped through the emergency exit. A Sydney police representative confirmed that the hostages who had managed to escape were safe.
A freed hostage is being treated in hospital. Unconfirmed whether that person sustained physical injuries, @RobertOvadia reports.
— 7News Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) 15 декабря 2014
DCOP Burn: "Our priority is the safety of the people in the cafe and the safety of the people of NSW." #MartinPlace pic.twitter.com/sur0svIG8q
— NSW Police (@nswpolice) December 15, 2014
4:35 p.m. (AEDT)
More police near building with guns drawn at #sydneysiege. Helicopter has just flown overhead
— Sarah Gerathy (@sarahgerathy) December 15, 2014
4:00 p.m. (AEDT)
The police are currently holding negotiations with a gunman who took hostage staff and customers of the Lindt Cafe in Sydney, deputy police commissioner Catherine Burn said Monday.
It [negotiations] might take a bit of time and I can assure you we want to resolve this peacefully," Burn said during a press conference, adding that the police's "number one priority is the safety of everyone concerned."
According to Burn, there are no more than 30 people trapped inside of the cafe. It has been initially reported that there were about 40 hostages.
Unconfirmed reports on local news outlets alleged the hostage-taker contacted a local radio host, claiming four explosive devices were planted across Sydney and demanding to speak with Prime Minister Tony Abbott. The CEO of the establishment under siege was reported by the News Corp online outlet to peg the number of hostages at 40 to 50 people.
12:00 a.m. (AEDT)
Australian PM Abbott called the incident "deeply concerning" in a statement. "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," he added.
— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) December 15, 2014
2/2…that our law enforcement and security agencies are well trained and equipped and are responding in a thorough & professional manner.
— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) December 15, 2014
11:23 a.m. (AEDT)
Police chopper hovers over a deserted Opera House concourse. @ABCNews24 pic.twitter.com/VDGZFxPktG
— Craig Berkman (@cberkman) December 15, 2014
11:10 a.m. (AEDT) Lindt Chocolate Cafe Australia has issued an official statement commenting on the incident.
11:00 a.m. (AEDT) According to reports, several hostages are forced to hold up a black flag with white writing in the window. A terrorism expert told local 7News TV channel that though it appeared to bear a testimony of faith in Allah and the prophet Mohammad, it was not that of the Islamic State (IS). The IS flag bears two different inscriptions, one inside a white circle.
At least 13 and possibly up to 50 customers and staff were taken hostage by an armed person at Sydney's Lindt Cafe. Several media outlets reported that the suspect was carrying a backpack and a device that looked similar to a suicide belt. The Sydney Opera House a few hundred meters from the area was evacuated due to a suspicious object.
