Sydney Hostage is now the trending topic online, it's the hottest topic in various news blog and search engines. Everyone is praying that no hostages will get hurt. And until now there's no report yet if who's the name of the assailant or the hostage taker as well as the names of the victims or hostages inside the Lindt cafe in downtown Sydney, Australia.
The identity of the hostage taker is still unknow as of this time. The only information showing the identity of the hostage taker is the Islamic flag displayed against a window of the said cafe. See the photo below taken from a video which was posted earlier.
Here's the latest report/update from Yahoo Live Blog, Live Report of the ongoing Hostage Crisis in Sydney Australia, December 15, 2014.
05:25 GMT - Safety priority - "Our priority is the safety of the people in the cafe and the safety of the people of NSW," says Burn.
Three run from cafe
05:21 GMT - Motivations - Deputy Commissioner Burn: "We don't believe anyone else in the cafe has been injured."
"Negotiators remain on scene. Investigators are trying to work out the offender's motivations."
05:19 GMT - police confirm - Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn: "I can confirm that three people have emerged from the location"
"I can't speculate on how many more people remain in the cafe."
05:17 GMT - Three run from cafe - Three people have run out of the cafe.
The hostages appeared to come out of a side door of the cafe which was being watched by heavily armed police, almost six hours after the standoff began.
"Three people have now emerged from the location in Martin Place. The first thing we will do is make sure they are okay," a police spokesman said.
"We will work with these people to figure out more information. We do not have information to suggest that anyone is harmed at this stage."
03:42 GMT - India PM - Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi Tweets:"The incident in Sydney is disturbing. Such acts are inhuman & deeply unfortunate. I pray for everyone's safety."
03:37 GMT - hostage call - Sydney talk radio station 2GB is tweeting confirmation Ray Hadley, a staff member, did receive a phone call from a hostage: "To clarify, Ray Hadley was contacted by the hostage, the call was taken off air and then confirmed by the Police Commissioner."
03:35 GMT - banks closed - Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking Corp and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group say they have shut their branches in the cnetral business district (CBD)
03:29 GMT - Police number - Police are asking people to call 1800 227 228 for information on the incident and not the 000 emergency services line or the Police Assistance Line
03:26 GMT - NZealand PM - Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key tweets: "I’ve contacted Prime Minister to let him know our thoughts are with the people of Australia today."
03:17 GMT - Members of the media monitor the situation near the cafe
03:15 GMT - suspect devices - Scipione says the police have received a number of calls about suspect devices around the central business district, but "everything has proven negative so far."
03:13 GMT - peaceful resolution - "There are well trained officers on the job who I'm sure will bring this to a peaceful resolution," says the commissioner.
03:08 GMT - hundreds of officers - "There are hundreds of officers involved in that very small tight location right now. But again if need be we will escalate that and if need be we'll take it out to many many more," Scipione says.
He adds that authorities are looking into the flag which was held up against the window of the cafe. "We're trying to work out what it stands for but at this stage it's probably best that I don't take that any further. We're working with or partner agencies to better determine what it is we're dealing with there."
Police commissioner speaks
03:05 GMT - 'Difficult day' - "This is a difficult day for everyone that is involved in this particular operation," Scipione says.
"I can confirm for you that we have an armed defender in premises holding an undisclosed number of hostages in the city.
"We are at this stage continuing to secure and make sure that we are doing all we can to bring this to a peaceful outcome. We want to matter resolved peacefully and we will do all we need to do to ensure that.
"We certainly have tight restriction and tight controls around that location and we will work as long as we need to to bring this to an outcome. The officers there are trained and professional."
03:05 GMT - Armed police evacuate employees from the offices near the cafe where hostages are being held in the central business district of Sydney
03:04 GMT - No contact yet - Commissioner Scipione says police "haven't had contact with the armed offender at this stage."
03:00 GMT - Armed man - Police are saying that the Sydney siege involves one armed man and an undisclosed number of hostages
02:58 GMT - Hostage numbers - The Australian newspaper says there could be more people in the cafe than was first reported. Lindt Australia CEO Steve Loane has told the newspaper that there are up to 40 or 50 customers and employees in the cafe.
02:51 GMT - Phone call - Sydney talk radio station 2GB is saying that Ray Hadley, a staff member, has received a phone call from someone claiming to be one of the hostages. He said the man had given him instructions and then Hadley went off air to talk to the apparent hostage.
02:47 GMT - Warning - New South Wales police are warning people to "avoid the Sydney CBD - roads are still closed due to police operation at Martin Place. More roads may be closed with little notice."
The police website has been overloaded by so many visitors at times it is impossible to load. The police have resorted to Tweeting their warnings, updates and statements on the situation in order to reach as many people as possible.
02:36 GMT - Police conference - ABC News reports that NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione is due to hold a media breifing shortly
02:28 GMT - Courts closed - Justice NSW @NSWJustice is tweeting that all law courts in the central business district are closed for the day
02:22 GMT - Members of the police tactical unit deploy near the cafe
02:21 GMT - White House - A White House official says Lisa Monaco, the president's top counter-terrorism advisor, has spoken to Obama about events in Sydney
02:19 GMT - Canada - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is tweeting "Canada's thoughts and prayers are with our Australian friends"
02:11 GMT - Obama briefed - Colleagues in Washington are reporting that President Barack Obama has been briefed on the hostage situation
02:08 GMT - Mid-year outlook - The PM says that as part of the busisness as usual Abbott Treasurer Joe Hockey and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann will shortly release the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook as planned.
01:59 GMT - Police maintain a cordon around the cafe
01:57 GMT - PM speaks - “Australia is a peaceful open and generous society and nothing will change here.”
“The ordinary business of government must go on and it will go on,” says Abbott
01:55 GMT - motivation - Prime Minister Tony Abbott is speaking to the media saying "We don't yet know the motivation of the perpetrator, we don't know whether this is politically motivated."
01:50 GMT - Police close a street near the cafe
01:48 GMT - More from the NSW Police website:
"Some nearby offices have been evacuated as a precaution. Anyone else in the area encompassing Hunter, George, Elizabeth and Macquarie streets bordering Martin Place is directed to remain indoors and away from open windows. Anyone in the vicinity but outside that area is free to leave their buildings.
"Police urge members of the public to remain calm and note that an appropriate police presence is in place.
"Police urge the media to be responsible in their reporting. Speculation can cause unnecessary alarm. We will attempt to keep you updated and police will release more information when it has been confirmed."
01:43 GMT - trapped in building - ABC news is tweeting that an unknown number of people are trapped in the building above the cafe where the hostages are being held.
Police are evacuating those above the cafe - including a baby - by ladder.
ABC Local Radio reporter John Donigan says: "Police search and rescue are evacuating people out windows and down ladders in the building that the hostages are being held in. So on the Elizabeth Street side of it people are being evacuated out windows and down ladders."
01:39 GMT - Hostages held in Sydney cafe: Duration:00:26
01:35 GMT - 'armed incident' -
NSW Police comment on their website:"Police are dealing with an armed incident and specialist officers are attempting to make contact those inside a café."
High alert
01:33 GMT - jihadists - Australia has been on high alert after the government raised concerns that citizens who have fought alongside jihadists in Iraq and Syria could return home radicalised and capable of carrying out attacks.
01:29 GMT - Bystanders watch events at the cafe seige
01:27 GMT - Transport impact - Transport in the heart of Sydney has been impacted, with trains not stopping at Martin Place and buses operating in the area have been diverted, causing gridlock on other roads in the city.
Sydney police are saying on Twitter: “Buses that normally travel across the Sydney Harbour Bridge are terminating at North Sydney Railway Station.”
Australian airline Qantas tweets:
“All Qantas flights are diverting around Sydney CBD but are operating as per schedule at this stage “
01:22 GMT - Cafe siege in Sydney - Map locating the cafe in Sydney
Australians reassured
01:19 GMT - National security - A national security meeting has been called by Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
"This is obviously 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," he has told the media.
01:15 GMT - Muslim leaders - The president of the Lebanase Muslim Association, Samier Dandan, has told ABC that Australian Muslim leaders are meeting online now to see if the community can help with the unfolding crisis.
Dandan says it is not known who is behind the siege and whether there are any links to the Australian Muslim community.
"But regardless we have a hostage situation. Whether he is someone who belongs to the Australian Muslim community or not, we are still waiting for information to be provided by police and based on that if there's something the Muslim community can do or assist, we are there."
01:12 GMT - Opera house - An "incident" at the nearby Sydney Opera House has also been reported, although police will not say whether it is related to the ongoing siege.
New South Wales police spokeswoman has told AFP: "The police are responding to an incident at the Opera House," adding that no further details were available.
Reports say the Opera House had been evacuated.
01:08 GMT - Armed police outside the cafe
01:07 GMT - Situation unfold - A newsroom of the Australian TV station Channel Seven is opposite the café.
Patrick Byrne, a producer says staff watched the situation unfold.
"We raced to the window and saw the shocking and chilling sight of people putting their hands up against the panes of glass at the cafe," he tells the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "This was just extraordinary."
01:01 GMT - WELCOME TO AFP’S LIVE REPORT on the hostage crisis in Sydney, Australia. An unconfirmed number of people are being held in a café in the heart of the government and business district of Sydney.
Witnesses on the scene report that an Islamic flag has been displayed in a window of the Lindt café in Martin Place, which has been cleared of people and surrounded by armed police.
Reports say as many as 20 people could be in the cafe and that there are at least two gunmen, although police have not confirmed this.
Witnesses have also reported hearing loud bangs that sounded like gun shots. We will continue to bring you live updates as the situation unfolds.
A photo from the exact place of Hostage Crisis in Sydney Australia.
