Update on hostages and info around Sydney (Australia) CBD attack

Sydney cafe is being held up by terrorism group which isn't confirmed as isis yet

10.31am: A woman who was about to enter the cafe said she had seen a man with a shotgun and immediately called the police.

10.30am: There were around 20 customers inside the cafe when the siege began.

about 20 hostages

Michael Safi reports the flag in the cafe window appears to bear the Shahada: “There is no god but the God, Muhammad is the messenger of God”. It is not the Islamic State flag.

He reports:

The flag that hostages appear to have been forced to hold up in the window of the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place is not the Islamic State flag - but that isn’t to say that Isis is not involved in today’s incident.
The flag appears to bear the Shahada, an Islamic creed which reads: “There is no god but the God, Muhammad is the messenger of God”.
It’s a perfectly benign symbol and appears across the Islamic world, including on the Saudi Arabian flag. But it has also been embraced by jihadi groups such as Jabhat Al-Nusra, an Al-Qaeda affiliate currently fighting in Syria.
Two Queensland men were arrested in September for allegedly trying to enter Syria to fight with the group, or facilitate the entry of others. Having said that, Jabhat Al-Nusra have not been known to have the capacity or inclination to carry out terror attacks outside Syria.

10.28am: A black Islamic flag has been raised in the window but there is no confirmation that it is an Islamic State flag.

10.24am: Workers in nearby Martin Place buildings, including the Seven Network, have been ordered to evacuate the area.

NSW government offices, including Premier Mike Baird’s, are in the vicinity of the cafe.

A SIEGE is taking place at a cafe in Sydney’s central business district.

Police are advising people to steer clear of the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Martin Place.

Customers and a worker’s face are pressed up against a shop window inside the cafe.

Martin Place has been shut down and scores of police are surrounding the building after the alarm was raised about 9.45am.

Channel Seven’s offices are across the road from the Lindt cafe and they have a camera trained on the window showing a live feed for any readers who want to tune in. There is no movement at the moment.

Martin Place is the business and banking centre of Sydney and offices, businesses and other buildings in the area are being evacuated by police.

A gunman is reportedly holding people hostage at a cafe in Sydney’s Martin Place.
Channel 7 reported that an armed man is holding hostages at the Lindt Chocolate cafe, opposite the broadcaster’s Martin Place studios.

A New South Wales police spokeswoman told Guardian Australia police were responding to an “unfolding” situation in Martin Place.

She would not confirm social media reports that a gunman was in the area, merely that it was an “ongoing operation”.

I hope they get out alright

A bit of background on Martin Place in Sydney where a cafe is under siege with staff and customers taken hostage by people who hung a black flag with white writing in the window:

Martin Place is the business and banking centre of Sydney.

The Reserve Bank of Australia is on Martin Place, while the state Parliament House sits up the top of the Martin Place on Macquarie Street. Government ministers have their offices in nearby in Governor Macquarie Tower – buildings which they share with Sydney’s top law firms. Channel Seven has a recording studio in the middle of Martin Place and the high end retailers – including those housed in the historic GPO building - are clustered towards the George Street end.

At night Martin Place bars are full of bankers, lawyers, politicians, their advisers and the media. Likewise – during the day – coffee shops such as Lindt are popular meeting spots. - from Brigid Delaney