Five people have reportedly escaped from a café in the central Australian city of Sydney, where at least one gunman took an unknown number of people hostage early Monday local time.
According to witnesses, some six hours into the siege three men emerged from the cafe and ran for their lives, two from the front door and one from an emergency exit. Around an hour later two women also escaped.
The women, who were wearing aprons, were apparently staff of the cafe.
Earlier on Monday, Australian police said that “Three people have now emerged from the location in Martin Place”, where the hostage situation was unfolding.
“We do not have any information that suggests that anybody is harmed at this stage,” New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn said.
She said that the number of hostages being held was “not as high as 30.”
Police negotiators “have had contact and continue to have contact” with the hostage taker, she said, adding they still did not know the motive behind the incident.
The development came hours after a gunman entered the Lindt Café in Sydney’s central business district.
There was no immediate confirmation of the exact number of attackers and captives, but according to the CEO of the café, between 40 and 50 people are believed to have been inside the shop, including 10 staff members.
Meanwhile, footage aired by the Australian television showed a black flag with white Arabic writings being held against a window of the place by terrified hostages.
The flag allegedly belongs to the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front, one of the Takfiri terror groups operating against the government in Syria.
The Australian government has also convened the National Security Committee for emergency briefings.
Meanwhile, Sydney’s Opera House has been evacuated after reports of a suspicious package there. Other key buildings in the area like the US consulate and the New South Wales Supreme Court have also followed suit.
In recent months, Australia has been on high alert after the Canberra government raised concerns over the return of the citizens who have joined the Takfiri terrorists operating in Syria and Iraq.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/3166
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