Australian police locked down the centre of the country's biggest city on Monday after an armed man walked into a downtown Sydney cafe, took hostages and forced them to display an Islamic flag, igniting fears of a jihadist attack.
Police said they knew of one armed assailant involved in the incident at the Lindt chocolate cafe in the heart of Sydney's financial district, but there could be more.
At least five hostages have been released or escaped since the mid-morning siege began, with panicked cafe workers and customers seen running into the arms of paramilitary police. About 15 hostages could still be seen inside the cafe, said Chris Reason, a reporter at Channel Seven, whose office is opposite the cafe.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who has warned of militant plans to strike Australian targets, said there were indications the hostage situation at the cafe was politically motivated. "This is a very disturbing incident. I can understand the concerns and anxieties of the Australian people," Abbott told reporters in Canberra, without providing any information on the unfolding siege.
Australia, a staunch ally of the United States and its escalating action against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, is on high alert for attacks by home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East.
The Reserve Bank of Australia said staff had been locked down inside the building, and were all safe and accounted for.
The cafe was directly opposite a commercial television studio and footage showed several people inside the cafe standing with their hands pressed against the windows.
Latest updates
21:04 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
In dramatic developments over last 30 minutes, police has stormed Lindt chocolate cafe. According to CNN, paramedics are also present in the scene and atleast 4 hostages have been 'stretchered out'. Shots of gunfires can be heard according to reports and policemen are entering and exiting the building. There is no news about the status of the gunmen who has been identified as Man Haron Monis. Read More
17:31 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Hostage crisis has now lingered on for more than 12 hours. Roughly an hour back, an employee of the cafe switched off lights .
16:05 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
According to Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney citizens are trending #illridewithyou to ward off any prevailing anti Islamic sentiment in the city. Till now the hashtag has amassed nearly 22,000 tweets. A young woman Rachel Jacobs has reportedly started the hashtag after her interaction with a muslim woman earlier in the day. That has started a heart warming trend in the social media. Citizens from other cities of Australia are also following this trend now.
15:24 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Infosys employee among hostages at Sydney cafe
An Infosys employee is among the hostages at a Sydney cafe, the IT company said on Monday.
"We can confirm that one Infosys employee is among the hostages at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney," the Bengaluru- headquartered company said.
"We are also in the process of confirming the whereabouts of all our other 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," Infosys said in a statement. Read more
14:12 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Australian Journalist Chris reporting from the Martin Place newsroom says there are around 15 hostages - not 50 - mix of women, men, young, old - but no children.
13:42 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Australian gunman demands Islamic State flag, wants to talk to PM Tony Abbott
A gunman holding hostages at a popular cafe here has demanded delivery of an Islamic State flag and a conversation with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, a media report said. The gunman relayed his demands through hostages who spoke to Network Ten news channel. According to the report, the armed man had told the hostages that he had planted four bombs. The gunman said two bombs are planted inside the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Martin Place and the others elsewhere in the Central Business District, Sky News channel reported quoting Network Ten. Read more
13:34 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Indian IT professional may be among hostages in Sydney cafe siege
An Indian origin IT professional may be among the hostages held by a gunman in a cafe in Australia, according to Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu who later said the reports were unconfirmed. "We don't want to discuss it because there is some information that one of our IT persons is also there. So the External Affairs Ministry is keeping in touch with concerned people there-- both our embassy as well as our counterpart also," Naidu told reporters outside Parliament House. Read more
13:14 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott issued another update. "Shocking that innocent people should be held hostage by an armed person", says Abbot
12:04 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Two more hostages have run out of the cafe at the centre of a siege in Sydney.
The two women were both wearing aprons indicating they were staff at the Lindt cafe where a gunman has been holding an unknown number of hostages for several hours. Three men had earlier run out of the cafe. It is unclear whether the hostages had been released by the gunman or had escaped. Police, who are speaking with the three men to gather information about what is happening inside, declined to specify how many hostages remained in the cafe.
12:00 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Indian Consulate in Sydney evacuated, staff safe, says Government
The Indian Consulate in Sydney was evacuated in view of the hostage situation in a cafe near its premises and all the staff members are safe, the External Affairs Ministry said on Monday. "As a preventive measure in accordance with the local requirements, we have evacuated the staff from the Sydney Consulate building because it is located about 300-400 metres away from where this incident took place," Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said here. Read more
11:31 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
In case of queries about Indian nationals following events in Sydney contact Dr Viond Bahade Dy Consul General at phone +61 481 453550
11:11 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Hostages seen running out of Sydney cafe
Hostages were shown running out of a Sydney cafe at the centre of a siege on Monday, according to Channel 7 live news footage. The footage showed a small number of people leaving the Lindt cafe, including one wearing a Lindt apron, as armed police moved closer to the door. An armed assailant was holding an unknown number of hostages inside the cafe, police said, with local television showing some being forced to hold up a black flag with white Arabic writing in the window.
10:49 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Indian cricketers' security increased in Brisbane
Security around Indian cricketers has been beefed up in Brisbane owing to the hostage crisis in Sydney with the BCCI keeping a close watch on the unfolding events there. "We are constantly in touch with Cricket Australia top bosses. We are monitoring the situation closely and security of our players is paramount. The players are in Brisbane and everything is normal there," said BCCI Secretary Sanjay Patel. Read more
10:00 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Australian National Imams Council condemns Sydney siege
The Australian National Imams Council, commenting on the siege at a Sydney cafe on Monday, said it "condemns this criminal act unequivocally". The joint statement with the Grand Mufti of Australia said that "such actions are denounced in part and in whole in Islam", noting they awaited further information about the identity and motivations of the perpetrators. Read more
09:45 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
9:30 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Sydney incident is disturbing, says PM Narendra Modi
9:00 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Police had not had any direct contact with the hostage taker, We have moved to a footing that would be consistent with a terrorist event, said Andrew Scipione, police commissioner for the state of New South Wales.
8:50 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Australia's major banks close Sydney CBD branches due to hostage crisis
Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking Corp and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group said they had shut their Sydney CBD branches on Monday after a number of hostages were taken in a central city cafe. "Due to the police operation in Martin Place Sydney, 12 Westpac branches in Sydney CBD will be closed for the rest of today," Westpac said in a tweet. CBA and ANZ posted similar messages. Read more
8:49 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Australia PM says unknown if hostage situation politically motivated
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Monday it was unclear if the siege at a Sydney cafe, where hostages are being held, was politically motivated. "We don't yet know if this is politically motivated, although there are some indications that it might be," Abbott told reporters in Canberra. "This is a very disturbing incident. I can understand the concerns and anxieties of the Australia people," Abbott said, without providing any information on the unfolding siege.
8:30 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
US Consulate near hostage cafe evacuated, security warning issued
The United States has evacuated its Sydney Consulate, which is located near a cafe in the city where hostages are being held, a spokeswoman said on Monday. The consulate has also issued an emergency warning to U.S. citizens in Sydney, urging them to "maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security". The spokeswoman said a couple of essential personnel remained at the consulate but all others had been sent home.
7:10 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Airlines, regulator say Sydney Airport operating normally Airlines said on Monday that flights are landing and taking off normally at Sydney Airport, but a diversion is in place around the city's central business district after reports that a gunman had taken hostages in a cafe in the centre of the city. The government-owned regulator, Airservices Australia, confirmed normal operations at both the domestic and international airports south of the city.
8:00 IST Monday, 15 December 2014
Live television footage showed patrons inside the cafe standing with their hands pressed against the windows. A black and white flag similar to those used by Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria was also visible.
NSW Police tweeted: "A police operation is underway in Martin Place, Sydney's CBD. People are advised to avoid the area."
A couple of hundred people were being held back by cordons and the fire brigade's hazardous unit was on the scene, a Reuters witness said.
The Reserve Bank of Australia, near the cafe, said staff had been locked down inside the building, and were all safe and accounted for.
Local media reported that the nearby Sydney Opera House had been evacuated after a suspicious package had been found. A staff member at the world-famous venue said she was still in the building but declined to comment further and police said they were still trying to confirm the incident.
Trains and buses were stopped and roads were blocked in the area, with train operators saying there had been a bomb threat at Martin Place.
Traders in currency markets said the hostage news may have contributed to a dip in the Australian dollar, which was already under pressure from global risk aversion as oil prices fell anew. The local currency was pinned at $0.8227, having hit its lowest since mid-2010 last week.
In September, Australian anti-terrorism police said they had thwarted an imminent threat to behead a random member of the public and days later, a teenager in Melbourne was shot dead after attacking two anti-terrorism officers with a knife.
(With agency inputs)
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