Five people have escaped a cafe where there is currently an ongoing hostage situation in Sydney.
Armed officers have surrounded the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Martin Place as the incident, involving an undisclosed number of hostages, continues.
Footage broadcast on Sky News showed two men running towards a group of armed police huddled at what looks like a fire escape door. A separate shot showed another man – wearing a brown apron – running out through that door.
It is now believed that five people have managed to escape from the cafe and the lights in the building have been turned off.
Several people have also been ordered to call local media outlets, but news organisations are refusing to air the calls that have been made.
Catherine Burn, deputy commissioner at New South Wales Police, said: ‘We are with those people now. The first thing that we are doing is making sure that they are okay. We will then establish who they are, and then we will continue to work with them.’
She said nobody has been harmed at the moment, adding: ‘We have been working through our negotiations to try to make sure that the people inside are cared for, that they have what they need, so that they don’t become ill or injured, so we will continue to do that.’
She said police negotiators have had contact and they ‘continue to have contact’. There has been no detail on the extent of the contact made with the hostage taker.
A short while later, footage of what looked like two women running from the scene was shown on Sky News.
The two women were both wearing brown aprons and one of them appeared to be crying.
Australian prime minister Tony Abbott earlier said he could not think of a more ‘distressing or terrifying’ event to be caught up in than the unfolding incident.
An exact motive has yet to be established, but Mr Abbott said there were ‘some indications’ that it could be politically motivated, while police said they could not yet rule out terrorism.
Martin Place is a plaza in the heart of the city’s financial and shopping district which is packed with holiday shoppers this time of year.
A photo of hostages with their hands up was posted on Twitter by Australia’s 7 News, as well as a photo of a black flag with Arabic writing being hung up at the window of the cafe.
Sydney Opera House is also believed to have been evacuated.
Speaking about the incident, Mr Abbott, said: ‘Our thoughts and prayers must above all go out to the individuals who are caught up in this.
‘I can think of almost nothing more distressing or terrifying than to be caught up in such a situation, and our hearts go out to those people.’
He said there are ‘some indications’ that the incident could be politically motivated, but said the exact motivation is yet to be established.
Mr Abbott said: ‘I just want to make a short statement on the hostage incident in Martin Place in Sydney. New South Wales Police are responding. They are being strongly supported by Commonwealth agencies.
‘We don’t yet know the motivation of the perpetrator. We don’t know whether this is politically motivated. Although obviously there are some indications that it could be,’ he said.
‘We have to appreciate that even in a society such as ours there are people who would wish to do us harm.
‘That’s why we have police and security organisations of the utmost professionalism that are ready and able to respond to a whole range of situations and contingencies including the situation that we are now seeing in Sydney.
‘The whole point of politically motivated violence is to scare people out of being themselves. Australia is a peaceful, open and generous society. Nothing should ever change that and that is why I would urge all Australians today to go about their business as usual.
‘Of course if anyone does have any suspicions of untoward activity, there is the national security hotline, 1800-123-400, which I would urge them to call.
‘I can let you know that the national security committee of the cabinet has been briefed on this incident,’ he said.
Mr Abbott described it is an ‘unfolding situation’, adding that the ordinary business of government will continue today.
‘Finally, this is a very disturbing incident. I can understand the concerns and anxieties of the Australian people at a time like this. But our thoughts and prayers must above all go out to the individuals who are caught up in this,’ the prime minister said.
‘I can think of almost nothing more distressing or terrifying than to be caught up in such a situation, and our hearts go out to those people.’
Meanwhile, Andrew Scipione, commissioner of New South Wales Police, said at a press conference that an ‘armed offender’ is ‘holding an undisclosed number of hostages’.
Asked if the incident is terrorism related, he said: ‘It’s certainly something we couldn’t rule out.’
He said they are ‘not tagging it at this stage’, but added: ‘Certainly we’ve moved to a footing that would be consistent with a terrorism event.’
Mr Scipione said there is ‘at least one’ offender.
He said people were working on what the black flag with Arabic writing – seen in a photo from the scene on Twitter – ‘stands for’.
The British High Commission in Canberra tweeted: ‘British citizens should be aware of a security threat at Martin Place, Sydney CBD. Police advise people to avoid the area.’
Glenn Connley, a Channel 7 journalist, told BBC News, the area is now a ‘ghost town’ and ‘completely empty’ for two blocks.
He said he believes there are two or three staff members inside the cafe as well as up to 10 or 11 customers. But other reports suggested as many as 50 people were inside.
A man who works there, and arrived for work just after the siege started, said he saw one of his colleagues pressed up against the window.
Nathan Grivas told The Guardian it was already locked when he arrived. ‘I didn’t get a good look at them, as soon as I saw the gun all I wanted to do was get out,’ he said.
Vesna Zarich, a local resident, told BBC News the incident has ‘sent a shiver through everybody’.
Martin Place is home to the state premier’s office, the Reserve Bank of Australia, and the headquarters of two of the nation’s largest banks. The state parliament house is a few blocks away.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office in London said: ‘We are aware of the hostage situation in Martin Place in Sydney and are in touch with the authorities.’
On the Lindt Chocolate Cafe Australia’s Facebook page, a post appeared around five hours into the ongoing incident, that said: ‘We would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and kind support over the current situation at the Lindt Chocolate Cafe at Martin Place.
‘We are deeply concerned over this serious incident and our thoughts and prayers are with the staff and customers involved and all their friends and families.
‘The matter is being dealt with by the authorities and we are waiting for any updates from them.’
