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Unsubstantiated
update on Sydney crisis
TV news in Australia is now saying that 3 people have emerged from the cafe
Hostages
held in Sydney cafe siege
Contact
made with hostage-taker as three people escape from Lindt Cafe in
Australian city's central business district.
15
December, 2014
Police
in Australia say at least one armed man is holding several people
hostage in a cafe in Sydney's Central Business District, prompting a
huge security response in an area home to many government offices.
Police
say contact has been made with the hostage-taker, who is reportedly
armed, and hundreds of armed police have swarmed Martin Place, close
to the New South Wales state parliament and the neighbourhood where
the Reserve Bank of Australia is located.
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.
Three
people ran out of the cafe building on Monday and were questioned by
police, hours after television footage began showing patrons inside
the Lindt Cafe standing with their hands pressed against the windows.
The
window was later cleared of people.
Tony
Abbott, Australian prime minister, called a meeting of the country's
national security committee in response to the incident and called
the events "deeply concerning" in a statement.
Al
Jazeera's Andrew Thomas, reporting from Sydney, said what appeared to
be a black flag or sheet with Arabic writing was held up against the
cafe's window.
Some
observers identified the flag as the al-Raya, which is a generic
symbol of Islam that bears the Shahada, a statement of the Islamic
faith that says: "There is no god but God and Muhammad is the
messenger of God."
"Australia
is a peaceful, open and generous society," Abbott said in an
address screened on television.
"Nothing
should ever change that. I would urge all Australians today to go
about their business as usual."
Abbott
said it was unclear whether the incident was politically motivated
but there were "some indications it may be."
Al
Jazeera's Thomas said Abbott had been careful to avoid speculation
and not talk about operational details.
"A
political motivation could be anything, frankly, from a terrorist
incident to something not at all to do with what's going on in the
Middle East at the moment or ISIL [ Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant] group or any of these things," he said.
Alleged
plots and police raids
Andrew
Scipione, New South Wales Police Commissioner, said police were still
trying to determine the motivation behind the hostage-taking and that
they did not yet know where the hostage-taker was from.
He
did not put a figure on the number of hostages being held at the
cafe. Several local media outlets had earlier reported that at least
13 people were on the premises.
The
police have not yet communicated with the hostage-taker and no
demands have been made.
The
city's iconic Sydney Opera House was evacuated after the siege began
along with several nearby buildings, Al Jazeera's Thomas said, adding
that it was likely this was a security precaution.
New
South Wales Police confirmed they were responding to an incident,
tweeting : "A police operation is under way in Martin Place,
Sydney's CBD. People are advised to avoid the area."
Footage
from local broadcasters showed scores of people streaming out of the
area.
Australia
is on high alert for attacks on its soil due to its support for the
US-led campaign against ISIL, and police have recently launched a
series of high-profile raids in major cities.
"One
of the intercepts, heavily reported by Australian media leading to
the raids, was an alleged plot to carry out a beheading in Martins
Place," Al Jazeera's Thomas said.
3 people appear to escape from Lindt Cafe in Sydney, @abcnews reports. #SydneySiege http://www.buzzfeed.com/bradesposito/martinplace?bftw=news …
#BREAKING UPDATE: Hostages are running out of the cafe. #sydneysiege
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